THE BIRCHES. 



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green look on the under side, caused by the soft, 

 downy growth over its surface; the upper side i 

 medium green, not so bright as that of the gray 

 birch. The branches are dark brown, the smaller 



ones often ochre or cinnamon color, and always downy 

 when young. The bark of the trunk is dark red- 

 brown, and often hangs in shreds of a lighter browu 



Red Birch. 



hue ; but the trunk never has quite the disheveled 



appearance common to the yellow birch, although the 



thin bark often hangs and curls about the body of 



the tree in the same charming, disorderly fashion. 



Perhaps the best way to identify this birch is by the 



peculiarly irregular leaf; its rude outline resembles 



the alder, but at once the lines and dots on the trunk 



and branches show the birch character. The red 



birch is common in New Jersey and in Bucks County, 



Pa. One need not look for the tree north of Massa- 

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