40 THROUGH LEAFY PATHS. 



first put on numerous species. How becoming 

 are the Alders and the Birches in their fresh new 

 trimming ! The leaves of the OakS, Maples and 

 Hickories, just unfolding from the buds and fleck- 

 ing the sky with the mellow stains of yellows, 

 reds and browns, are especially attractive. The 

 conditions and surroundings of the trees have 

 much to do in painting the foliage before the 

 chlorophyll has dyed it for its summer's work. 

 The saplings and sprouts of the White Oak are 

 decked with scraps of maroon velvet cut into the 

 regular established patterns, while the leaves of 

 older trees of the same species, on higher ground, 

 are often the color of amber or of half-ripe lemons. 

 The evenly plicated leaves of the Wild Cherry 

 shine like bronze in the sun. Here and there 

 the Large-Toothed Aspens have arrayed them- 

 selves in white silky-wool attire, and, as they rise 

 like clouds in fleecy masses amid the early spring 

 foliage of the hard- wood trees, form conspicuous 

 objects in the forest. 



How exquisitely tender and transparent is the 

 new leaf of the American Basswood ! I can 

 hardly bear to look through it at the sun. When 

 it is closely laid on paper, writing can easily be 

 seen through it. Viewed in the light, it assumes a 

 yellowish cast, and you not only see the slender 

 forked veins, extended at regular intervals from 

 the midrib, but hundreds of gossamer cross-lines, 



