THE ALDER. 



213 



the seeds furnished with a border. Though so nearly re- 

 sembling eaeh other in the structure of the flowers as to 

 have been placed by some botanists in the same genus, in 

 ■.eneral form, character of the foliage, and place of growth. 





no two trees are more distinct; for while the Birch is 

 singularly marked by elegance of form and lightness of 

 foliage, the Alder is stiff, heavy, and even gloomy. 



The Alder is a very widely diffused tree, growing by 

 the sides of rivers and in swampy places unfit for the 



