THE BIRCHES. 



97 



green look on the under side, caused by the soft, 

 downy growth over its surface ; the upper side is a 

 medium green, not so bright as that of the gray 

 birch. The branches are dark brown, the smaller 

 ones often ochre or cinnamon color, and always downy 

 when young. The bark of the trunk is dark red- 

 brown, and often hangs in shreds of a lighter brown 



Eed Birch. 



hue; but the trunk never has quite the disheveled 

 appearance common to the yellow birch, although the 

 thin bark often hangs and curls about the body of 

 the tree in the same charming, disorderly fashion. 

 Perhaps the best way to identify this birch is by the 

 peculiarly irregular leaf; its rude outline resembles 

 the alder, but at once the lines and dots on the trunk 

 and branches show the birch character. The red 

 birch is common in New Jei'sey and in Bucks County, 

 Pa. One need not look for the tree north of Massa- 



