246 VOICES FROM THE WOODLANDS. 



high growing-places, they lie soft and thick upon the 

 ground, not with a heavy pressure, to crush the feeblest 

 insect, or to bruise the tenderest seed, but light and warm, 

 and yielding a ready covering for everything that requires 

 shelter ; and that when high winds begin to dry the 

 earth in spring, insects come forth from beneath those 

 parental leaves, which have carefully treasured whatever 

 has been consigned to their care ; and that early flowers, 

 peeping forth from their friendly covering, seem to welcome 

 the return of genial weather, at which time winds are 

 abroad, and the leaves, being no longer needed, become 

 vegetable mould. 



Our venerable brother, the white poplar, or abele-tree, 

 produces a beautiful effect in woodland scenery, especially 

 when growing high on rocky banks, among trees of deep 

 foliage. The leaves are smooth and of a dark green on 

 the upper surface, with a white dense cotton underneath ; 

 the bark is of a greenish grey, blended with darker shades ; 

 and hence the tout ensemble of the abele-tree which 



