28 THE BEECH. 



amongst them. After rain these turn to purple, and the pale grey 

 trunks are darkened bv the water which has run down them and 

 left stains to mark its course, while every twig reflects the sky. 



In spring the Hat, spreading branches are covered with young 

 leaves, yellow-green and fringed with down. Through these the sun 

 shines, making ever-changing patterns on the smooth trunks, and 

 casting a chequered shade on the ground. Here the " feather-poke " 

 hides her nest among the bluebells, and there are pigeons, chaffinches 

 and woodpeckers in the boughs above. 



Soon the leaves change to a glossy green, the brown and pink 

 stipules are thrown off and lie thickly scattered amongst the limp 

 green blades ot the dying bluebells. The croziers of the new bracken 

 are already well up. 



As summer comes on the leaves look firmer and feel more crisp, 

 while the yellow flowers hang like little tassels from the twigs. The 

 tiny nuts form slowly, and ripen and crack when the wood is red 

 and orange with the tints of autumn and the falling leaves cover the 

 swaying seed-heads of the hyacinths. 



RAMIFICATION. 



The new shoots are given off alternately to right and lelt ot 

 the parent twig, and form just below the apex. The twigs are thus 

 continuous but do not lie in a straight line, as is the case where 

 the terminal shoot springs directly from the apex of the old twig. 



The angles of twig and shoot alternate from side to side with 

 [lertcct regularity, and this manner of growth results in the flat and 

 spreading layers of twigs so characteristic of the tree. 



The new twigs often form nearly a right angle with the branch, 

 but the larger branches divide at an angle of about 45 degrees. 



