16 THE BROOK BOOK 



In May the oak tree shakes out its loose catkins. 

 These endure but a few days, and one must be on 

 time to get a glimpse of the sparsely set pendants. 

 The young acorns stay on, nestling among the thick 

 leaves. It was not until May had passed and we 

 were ankle-deep in June that we began to discover 

 the great variety of fruit borne by this brookside oak. 

 Oak apples of various sizes appeared on the leaves. 

 We had seen them on fallen leaves last November, 

 but here were the beginnings. Bright green like 

 the leaves, they were well disguised. Scarcely a 

 branch had escaped the attentions of the tiny gall-fly 

 which leaves its young to be nurtured and cradled 

 by the tree. Why the presence of a particular spe- 

 cies of insect on leaf or stem should cause the oak 

 to provide always a dwelling of a special pattern is 

 one of the most fascinating mysteries offered by na- 

 ture. An oak tree is a wonderful "apartment house" 

 well worth visiting. 



June gave us abundantly of her best. We had 

 explored the brook in both directions before this 

 time. Up stream was a dilapidated rail fence which, 

 with the aid of a broad tangle of briers and vines, 

 emphasized the boundaries of adjacent farms. How 

 we gloated over that fence-row and watched with 

 eagerness the coming out of the leaves on the various 

 brambles ! At the very place where Peppermint 

 Brook came smiling from under the fence there 

 hung a thick curtain of wild roses. As their buds 

 multiplied we promised ourselves a trip thither, 

 "'long about knee-deep in June." When that time 



