THE OAK 47 



been necessary to reduce some of them, other- 

 wise I should have had to be content with 

 fewer examples. 



Having now spoken of trees in general, I 

 shall proceed to consider the individual 

 species mentioned in the plates. 



First of these is the European Oak 

 (Quercus robur) Plate I., Fig. 1 ' sole king 

 of forests all,' as Spenser calls it. Thick, 

 rough bark, egg-shaped acorns, and leaves 

 with an irregular outline, like a map of an 

 indented sea-coast, clearly distinguish this 

 tree from all others. There are three main 

 varieties of the species one with long leaf- 

 stalks and short acorn-stalks ; one with short 

 leaf-stalks and long acorn-stalks; and one 

 with short stalks to both leaves and acorns. 



The oak is remarkable for longevity, and 

 for the durability of its timber. There are 

 said to be oaks between a thousand and two 

 thousand years old, and oaken furniture in use 

 over a thousand years. In height this tree 

 attains from 60 to 120 feet, and measures 

 from two to six feet through the trunk ; 

 but it often exceeds these dimensions. Its 

 lasting quality renders the timber particularly 



