The Fall of the Leaf. 531 



changes in the face of nature, must have observed that the 

 different species of trees and shrubs lose their leaves at dif- 

 ferent dates in the autumn, some being entirely denuded, 

 while others hardly exhibit any change in their foliage. It 

 may be further remarked that some species preserve their 

 verdure until their leaves drop to the ground ; among Avhich 

 we may class a great proportion of exotic trees and shrubs. 

 Others roll up their leaves into a crisp before their fall, like 

 the most of the herbaceous plants, without materially chang- 

 ing their color except by fading. Such are the ash, the 

 locust, and the shellbark hickory. The leaves of a third 

 class, without v/ilting or withering, change from green to 

 some brilliant color, and make their beauty the harbinger of 

 their decay. The greater number of the trees and shrubs 

 belonging to the United States, are of this last description. 



Those trees in general that exhibit the earliest and bright- 

 est tints, are the first to lose their leaves. This is observable 

 especially in the maples, whose tints of yellow, orange, red, 

 crimson and purple are conspicuous, while the leaves of most 

 other species are still green. No sooner have other trees for 

 the most part, assumed their autumnal hues, than the maples 

 have already become leafless. While the latter are still wear- 

 ing their gayest robes we may observe the hues of yellow, 

 orange and brown of the common American elms. The tints 

 of the elm are neither so brilliant nor so various as those of 

 the maple. They consist only of a few shades of brown and 

 yellow, which partake of that want of brilliancy that charac- 

 terizes the verdure of the same tree. It is worthy of notice 

 that while these trees are thus gleaming with gold, the En- 

 glish elm still retains the greenness of its foliage almost as 

 pure as in summer. The same difference may be observed 

 between the greater part of the indigenous trees of America 

 and those of England and the continent of Europe. 



This habit of European trees has led many persons to pre- 

 fer them for ornamental purposes, to their kindred American 

 species. A few additional weeks of verdure in the foliage of 

 our trees, though it would not retard the approaching cold, 

 would be a prolongation of one of the pleasant advantages 



