THE CONIFERS 



709 



be. In flight their rapidly vibrating 

 pinions make a peculiar noise which 

 has won for them the alternate name 

 of Rattlewings. 



All the diving ducks have the legs 

 placed far back, their generally smaller 

 bodies are rounder and more thickly clad 

 with down, their wings are comparatively 

 shorter and more curved, and their 

 flight is more hurried and irregular than 

 that of the surface feeders. They never 

 wheel about in the air with graceful ease, 

 or for mere enjo\Tnent — as, for example. 

 Teal apparently do ; and when alighting 

 on the water the}' cut the surface with a 

 long, sliding splash, whereas the surface 

 feeders, with outstretched wings and feet, 



face the wind and gently sit afloat as 

 soon as the body touches the water line. 

 The moulting season is a trying time 

 for ducks. The Mallard, for instance, 

 sheds nearly ah his pinion feathers simul- 

 taneously, and is consequently incapable 

 of flight for some few weeks together, 

 and thereby exposed to many dangers. 

 Nature, however, steps in to render him 

 less conspicuous than he would be were 

 his gaudy courting dress retained. Instead 

 thereof he is meantime clothed in what 

 is aptly termed an " echpse plumage," 

 wherein he closely simulates his spouse's 

 feathering, and thus soberly attired is 

 better fitted to escape the observation of 

 his foes. 



Maurice C. H. Bird. 



HOW TO KNOW THE TREES 

 GROWING IN BRITAIN 



With Notes, descriptive and photographic, for their Identification 

 in all Seasons of the Year 



By HENRY IRVING 



THE CONIFERS— FIRS AND PINES 



'T'~^HE trees included under the general 

 X. title Conifers form a very large 

 and important class. Their char- 

 acter is so distinctive that they stand 

 apart from all others. 



Nearly all of them are evergreen, their 

 leaves remaining attached for a series of 

 years. A notable exception is the Larch. 

 The nature of these long-persisting leaves 

 has undergone special modification with 

 a view to their endurance through extreme 

 variations of temperature and climate. 

 As a consequence of this modification 

 these trees can live and thrive in exposed 

 situations, braving the winds, unharmed 

 by the snow, where other trees would 

 suffer rending and maiming. In texture 

 these leaves are hard and leathery ; in 

 shape they are long and very narrow, 

 exposing but the smallest surface, re- 



90 



ducing transpiration to a minimum, 

 offering least resistance to the wind. The 

 little surface that is exposed is smooth 

 and shiny, and from it the snow slips 

 off before its accumulation becomes a 

 peril. 



Their flowers are crowded together, 

 in the shape of spikes or cones, which 

 again may be grouped into clusters ; but 

 eacli chister comprises one kind of flower 

 only, which is either pollen-bearing or 

 fruit-producing. These are generally 

 found on the same tree. The quantity 

 of pollen thrown off is enormous, floating 

 away in clouds, settling and forming 

 drifts in places, giving rise to the frequent 

 country legend of a sulphur shower. 

 Conifers rely uj-xin the wind alone ff^r the 

 conveyance of the pollen, and the abund- 

 ance of this is a precaution against failure. 



