see them all shaken out into 

 dangling tassels of blossoms 

 several inches in length. But 





\ > 



the other dark brown cones 

 have already seen their catkin 

 days. They were blossoms 

 last spring. But they are 

 now firm and rigid and reso- , 



lute on their stalks, their only 



thought being to spread the white counterpane with 

 manna for the birds, and to fill the woods full of birch- 

 trees ; for each one of these fruiting catkins contains 

 certainly a thousand seeds packed away with wonderful 

 art, and here is where we find the mimic birds, each 

 with its brood of two or three of the light-brown seeds 

 beneath its wings. 



This innocent-appearing catkin is well worth our care- 

 ful examination. I never go into the woods 

 in winter without stopping to admire its little 

 hocus-pocus, for it is a pretty piece of jugglery. 

 How firm and compact it seems as it hangs 

 upon its stem ! But it is laughing at our sim- 



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