98 



ELEMENTARY WOODWORKING 



feature and cannot be mistaken. It comes off in layers 

 and possesses a resinous quality which makes it water- 

 proof, a fact fully appreciated by the Indians, who con- 

 structed their canoes of it. The wood is hard and tough. 



49. Gray Birch. A 

 smaller tree, known as 

 the gray birch, also has 

 white bark, but it is not 

 as perfect as that of the 

 canoe birch, does not peel 

 in layers, and has trian- 

 gular black spots on the 

 trunk beneath every 

 limb. 



It loves barren, rocky 

 places, abandoned farms, 

 etc., and is sometimes 

 called old field birch. It 

 has a fine, delicate foli- 

 age, which is not dupli- 

 cated in the forest. Each 



leaf swings from a long, slender stem, and every passing 

 breeze gives it a trembling effect, like the aspen. The 

 leaf form is very odd, a broad, flat base, and then a 

 l n g> graceful curve out to a fine point, the whole edge 

 being finely double-toothed. 



FIG. 107. Leaf of Gray Birch 



