SPRAT. 165 



Over the bud itself there is a silky covering ; upon 

 this, soft, hairy scales ; and over all a resinous 

 case, perfectly wet-proof. Discoloured by exposure 

 to the air, one would naturally regard this external 

 appearance as the bud ; but the bud, composed of 

 delicate and tender tissue, lies within, safe against 

 all the bleakness of the wintry season. 



Almost every winter bud has some such provi- 

 sion as this for its safety, but there is an especially 

 elaborate and beautiful provision made for the 

 safety of the Plane bud. Nature works in a more 

 or less elaborate manner, according to the more 

 or less important objects she has to secure, and 

 the purpose of the especial provision made for 

 the leaf of the Plane may be readily divined by 

 remembering the large size and the exquisite 

 beauty of the summer foliage of this delightful 

 tree. 



The spray of the Poplar differs in the various 

 species of that most abundant tree, but in the 

 spray of all the species the bark is more or less 

 brown in colour, and there is much straightness 

 and symmetry in the growth of the shoots, thus 

 marking the absence of the zigzag angularity 



