42 MAY 



nearly always something to look for; but this is 

 the month for most of them. Although many of 

 them are deciduous, the garden never presents a 

 real wintry aspect with all the branches bare 

 together. The Jack trees and the Casuarinas are 

 evergreen, but the purple-flowering Lagerstraemia 

 certainly does seem to expect a rest, for it allows 

 its branches to remain uncovered for quite a month. 

 The Debdar of the country has more regard for 

 appearances, and sheds its yellow fingers of leaves 

 as fast as it possibly can ; then long before the last 

 are off, the first new ones are on ; a most lovely 

 green. In two or three weeks the trees are fully 

 dressed ; in two more the flowers are there ; insig- 

 nificant pale-green clusters, not pretty. And in 

 July there are thousands of ripe berries for the 

 flying foxes and squirrels. The Almond tree is 

 pretty; before the large oblong leaves fall, they 

 become a lovely ruddy tint. This tree is also one 

 of those that studies "les convenances," and does 

 not care to sit too long in its bones ; for with 

 astonishing rapidity it clothes itself all over again 

 in green, before the last red leaves have fallen. The 

 fruit of the almond tree is contained in a very hard 



