EARLY FLOWERINa SHRUBS. 



33 



tliey so greatly relish ; in fact, if we approach a large 

 clump of the alternate-leaved dogwood with caution, 

 we may see a number of our feathered friends peck- 

 ing at the dark-blue berries, but not at any hour of 

 the day ; it is early morning when the birds are most 

 hungry, and break- 

 fast with them is 

 the all - important 

 meal of the day. 



From May until 

 July the flowers of 

 the common elder 

 {Samhucus Ca- 

 nadensis) are in 

 bloom ; but this 

 familiar shrub 

 needs no de- 



Eed-ben-ied Elder : portion of fruit cluster at A. 



scription ; its 



compound 

 leaves and hand- 

 some, broad, 

 white flower clus- 

 ters, sweet with 



perfume, are known to us all. Two marked charac- 

 teristics of the elder are the rank smell of the leaves 

 when crushed and the thick-jointed branches ; the 

 latter, when new, are bright green. The large, heavy 



