Woodside. 63 



One wonderful lesson is taught us by the leaves of the 

 monarch of the forest. When the plant is very young their 

 margins are entire, with scarcely any deep indentations. 

 As the tree gets older, the indentations become more and 

 more marked, until we reach the deeply-cut leaves of the 

 adult tree. These changes in the individual are supposed 

 by scientific men to shadow forth the changes which the 

 foliage of the tree has undergone during the countless ages 

 of the past, until it has arrived at its present condition ; 

 pointing out how the simple becomes more complex as de- 

 velopment proceeds. 



We have wandered far from the path into the Park itself, 

 but now we make for the path again. Here the oaks are 

 replaced by large, leafy chestnuts ; there majestic ash trees 

 reach high above their neighbours. At last we hit the 

 grassy track that does duty for a path, and on mossy banks 

 we slowly saunter along under the delicious shade of the 

 umbrageous foliage, the branches of the trees interlacing 

 with each other on either side, and forming a perfect canopy 

 above our heads. Moss-grown trunks meet our view every- 

 where, but the mighty trees shut out all but the twinkling 

 shafts of light which are filtered through the occasional 

 breaks in the foliage above, and give an extra tinge of life 

 and beauty to this deliciously cool and pleasant spot. 



Up yon oak tree runs a squirrel. What a nimble fellow he 

 is! There is another going up the smooth trunk of that 

 beech as if it offered a perfectly sure and certain foothold, 

 and see, it runs out on yonder little branch, which bends 

 beneath its weight, and appears as if it must give way be- 

 neath it. No; it is perfectly safe there, and now it runs 

 along and comes partly do wn the trunk again, this time head 



