62 THE BEECH. 



mented with lines of silky hairs, which, at the same 

 moment constitute a defence for them. With the 

 expansion of the blade, these lines of hairs are dis- 

 covered to coincide with the veins ; while along the 

 edge of the leaf, projecting from it like the eyelashes 

 from the margin of the eyelid, are similar hairs, 

 which give it the most delicate fringe conceivable. 

 No other British forest-tree has its young leaves 

 thus fringed, so that in this one single particular we 

 possess a certain guide. A young beech grove, 

 about the middle of May, when the foliage is toler- 

 ably well expanded, presents one of the greenest 

 and airiest sights that trees afford. The leaves are 

 singularly thin and translucent, and these innumer- 

 able silvery fringes seem to aid in detaining the 

 light. Embosoming ourselves in a little thicket 

 of young beech, we learn for the first time in 

 its fulness, what is the meaning of green, and the 

 force of that charming line in Coleridge, 



" The level sunshine glimmers with green light." 



Fully expanded, the characteristic feature of the 

 beech-leaf is at once obvious. To recognise this, it 

 is useful to remember that tree-leaves are of five 

 principal forms, viz. 



1. Needle-shaped, as in pines and firs. 



2. Simple and with a midrib, as in the beech, 



oak, elm, lime, alder, hornbeam, hazel-nut, 

 birch, poplar, willow, Spanish chestnut. 



