OAK LEAVES 211 



because he helps to enlarge their lists of species. I have 

 seen hardly any result from the lists of species which are 

 printed so copiously, and doubt whether perfect cata- 

 logues of British plants and animals would compensate for 

 the extermination of two or three of our native species. 



XXXIX. OAK LEAVES. 



The true shape of an oak-leaf can be recorded in several 

 ways. Sprinkling and nature-printing are both easy and 

 effective. Sprinkling I need not describe. Nature-print- 

 ing can be done by any one who possesses a cyclostyle 

 apparatus. Ink the leaf, just as the printer inks his type, 

 and print from it by pressing the leaf against the paper 

 with the finger. Printer's ink thinned with turpentine is 

 better than cyclostyle ink, which is too oily. Drawing 

 to scale is best of all, because it admits of intelligent selec- 

 tion of the most significant features. 



There are three peculiarities of an oak-leaf which I 

 invite you to consider : (i) it widens from the base 

 towards the tip ; (2) it is unequal-sided ; the midrib does 

 not run exactly down the middle of the leaf, and one side 

 is a little larger than the other ; (3) it has a sinuous margin. 



If you look at a leafy oak-branch, you will see that the 

 leaves stand out on all sides. Looking endwise at the 

 branch, they seem to radiate from a point, as in a rosette. 

 In the case of radiating leaves it is convenient that they 

 should be narrow at the base, where there is little room, 

 and widen as they get further from their support. Some 

 plants, such as dandelion and shepherd's purse, form leafy 

 rosettes on the ground. Gather one or two, and see 

 whether their leaves do or do not widen outwards. 



An oak-leaf is unequal-sided because of the peculiar way 

 in which it is packed in the bud. Take nine books, and 

 arrange them in three concentric circles, each of three 

 books. The books must stand tangentially and upright, 



