100 FAMILIAR TREES AND THEIR LEAVES. 



unwillingly formed more than a " scraping acquaint- 

 ance " with this tree — the brook trout's best friend. 



Its leaves 

 are extremely 

 coarse, irregu- 

 larly toothed, 

 prominently 

 brown - veined, 

 very downy be- 

 neath (especially 

 when young), and dull, 

 dark olive above. The 

 bark of the twigs is also olive- 

 and that of the 

 trunk is shiny, ruddy 

 green. The purple and 

 yellow catkin which 

 H,''"l? -L; u |]r>^r-r\ appears m spring is 

 \^v.'jl< "-'_l;-rf}S^ extremely graceful, 

 ys- ._ .. _^ ^^^ scatters clouds of 



pollen dust if disturbed. 

 In the fall we will find the catkin buds and the 

 '•cones" on the same bush, like my sketch. The 

 cones resemble red-pine cones in miniature. 



The European alder {Alnus glutinosa), often 

 planted in our parks, is a handsome tree from 25 to 

 60 feet in height, with a leaf closely resembling that 



Speckled Alder. 



