152 THE BIRCH AND THE ALDER. 



or the golden spikes of the asphodel), once upon a 

 time, and not so very remotely, probably not much 

 more than 1500 or 2000 years ago, there was either 

 marsh-land or forest, the floor of the latter being 

 what is now the solid ground underneath the bog. 

 The accumulation of water, and the gradual decay 

 of the plants, laid the foundation of the bog ; such 

 trees as grew there would soon fall, and, with the 

 gradual development of the bog-vegetation above, 

 their remains would become buried where we now 

 find them. There is another curious feature in the 

 bark of the birch which deserves notice, namely, 

 its aptitude to split into extremely thin laminae or 

 sheets. The highest development of this property 

 is seen in one of the North American species, 

 thence called Betula papyracea, or the "paper- 

 birch." The layers of bark are so broad, so smooth, 

 and so tough withal, that they form an admirable 

 natural paper, and will allow of being written upon 

 almost as easily as manufactured material, the only 

 drawback being that the colour is light brown. The 

 thicker portions of the bark of this singular tree 

 are wrought by the native Indians of New Bruns- 

 wick into toys, models of canoes, etc., as well as 

 boxes, the former often ornamented with the quills 

 of the American porcupine, and with the dyed hair 

 of the moose-deer. One of the Himalayan species 

 of birch, which men of science have agreed to call 

 by its native name, Betula Bliojpatra, yields a 



