THE WAVY-LEAVED OAK. 299 
colouring of sober green. The leaf-stem in 
Pedunculata is either entirely absent, or very 
short. One peculiarity connected with the foliage 
of the Oak is, that, though the Tree is deciduous, it 
sometimes experiences a second spring, when by 
accidental circumstances the leaves are pre- 
maturely removed. On the occasion of a great 
storm, which took place in Cornwall in the month 
of August, 1844, the foliage of a number of Oaks 
shrivelled up, and died a few hours after the 
storm. Very shortly afterwards, however, new 
leaves began to take the place of the old and 
destroyed crop. The same phenomenon has also 
been witnessed in the case of Oaks whose leaves 
have been destroyed by cock-chaffers, or other 
insects. Another peculiarity of the Oak foliage 
is that in young Trees it remains on the twigs 
long after the autumnal discoloration has set in, 
and it is supposed that in this way Nature affords 
protection from cold to the incipient buds which, 
in the Oak, as in many other Trees, are formed 
long before the time of opening. Following 
closely, in spring, on the opening of the earliest 
leaf-buds come the Oak flowers. These are of two 
