SPINDLE TEEB. 265 



the one into the other, that no dividing line can 

 be traced. 



The especial charm of Nature is its never- 

 ending variety. There is no possibility of ex- 

 hausting these varieties, even in the Maple hedges 

 one may pass during a single walk. If the walk 

 be rapid we shall lose more than half of the 

 enjoyment. We must continually be stopping, 

 pressing aside the sprays which form the outside 

 clothing of the bank, and peering into the inner- 

 most recesses, if we would fully appreciate the 

 beauty of the autumnal Maple hedge. 



Poisonous leaves and fruit have oftentimes a 

 fascinating brilliancy of colour. Thus it is with 

 the Spindle Tree, both in fruit and foliage. As 

 commonly seen in our hedges and woodlands this 

 species assumes more nearly the form of a shrub 

 than that of a tree. Twigs and leaves are notice- 

 able in the spring and summer by a remarkable 

 greenness ; but the autumnal hue of the leaves 

 largely surpasses, in the splendour and attractive- 

 ness of colour, even the especial verdancy of the 

 earlier season. The form of the leaf may be 



