EL. 193 



yellow of the Elm that it wears a golden hue ; 

 and one of the prettiest sights in the early season 

 of change, when yet the mass of foliage of this 

 delightful tree still retains its normal verdancy is 

 the falling to the ground of tiny leaves which are 

 veritably golden. Down they come, slowly and 

 gracefully, looking so delicate and beautiful that 

 it is almost a saddening reflection that they must 

 speedily be trodden into the earth, blackened, 

 disfigured and destroyed. 



Between the normal green and final yellow of 

 the Elm leaves there are many, various and 

 beautiful gradations. The more symmetrical form 

 of the foliage gives greater elegance if we com- 

 pare it with the leaves of the Oak to the autumn 

 tinting of Ulmus campestris. The invading yellow 

 will sometimes begin at the serrated margins. It 

 will, at other times, extend itself in longitudinal 

 bands in the spaces between the parallel veins 

 the course of the veins, in this case, being indi- 

 cated by their green lines of tissue which serve to 

 bring out into relief the enclosed bands of yellow. 

 Occasionally the tinting encroaches broadly upon 

 one side of the leaf and then diminishes gradually 



