THE ALDlili. 



213 



the seeds furnished with a border. Though so nearly re- 

 sembling each other in the structure of the flowers as to 

 have been placed by some botanists in the same genus, in 

 general form, character of the foliage, and place of growth, 



no two trees are more distinct ; for while the Birch is 

 singularly marked by elegance of form and lightness of 

 foliage, the Alder is stiff, heavy, and even gloomy. 



The Alder is a very widely diffused tree, growing by 

 the sides of rivers and in swampy places unfit for the 



