IO4 Burnside. 



'' The braes ascend like lofty wa's, 

 The foaming stream deep roaring fa's, 

 O*erhung wi' fragrant spreading shaws. 

 The hoary cliffs are crown'd wi' flowers, 

 White o'er the linns the burnie pours, 

 And rising, weets wi' misty showers " 



then, as a graceful setting to such a mountain scene, the 

 birch is seen at its best, and stands out in elegance and fairy 

 lightness far beyond the companions of its lovely solitude. 

 By this burn, in every cranny, the birch has found a home ; 

 there, in yon exposed spot, is one twisted and gnarled by the 

 gusts that sweep down the glen in winter ; here, in this nook, 

 sheltered between those high rocky cliffs, is another, tall and 

 stately ; up yonder we see 



" Hung high in air the birch in tassell'd pride, 

 Clasping with tangled roots the rock's grey side " 



while on yonder flat, straight and erect, with spreading 

 branches, is a splendid tree which has taken full advantage 

 of its better position, as is shown by its sixty feet of height, 

 and which quite equals the finest examples of our " lady of 

 the woods," to be found in its more southern haunts. 



There is a nest in yon birch tree, you say. No, it is not a 

 nest ! Climb into the tree, and you will see what it is. 

 There has been a stoppage in the growth in length of the 

 branch, caused by some injury probably inflicted by an Acarus 

 long ago, and a large knot has been formed there. This 

 has given origin to a vast number of small twigs, which, 

 spreading in a horizontal direction and interlacing as they 

 spread, have given rise to the peculiar nest-like appearance. 



Yonder is an old birch that has evidently seen its best 

 days. On its decaying trunk is a massive flattened disc of 

 a somewhat pale brownish colour, quite a foot in diameter 



