228 ARAUCARINE: 
those who cannot persuade themselves to look upon 
it as a “ thing of beauty and a joy for ever.” 
We will specify a few of these little idiosyncrasies, 
some of which it lays claim to the sole proprietorship 
of :-— 
(1) It is, as all authorities have maintained, the 
only indigenous tree, south of the Equator 
in the New World, that has grown to 
timber-producing size in the stranger tem- 
peratures of more northern lands. 
(2) It has not only physical features that have 
earned it the reputation of offering a 
deterrent obstacle to the climbing ambitions 
of the monkey tribe, but. alse presents 
to view a bark that Miss North described 
as of a “neat honey-comb-like pattern, 
which reminded her of a child’s puzzle.” 
A tree that can provide puzzles which alike 
check monkeys and baffle children must 
assuredly be possessed of qualities that are 
both subtle and original, and entitle it to 
consideration from us, if not. esteem. — 
(3) It ranks with the Gingkos, Cryptomerias, 
and a few select others, as among the oldest 
of trees found in geological strata. It has 
been discovered in the Eocene formations 
of England and France, so that at one time 
‘it must have presented a more frequent 
and wide-spread appearance upon the face 
of the earth than we have found it to do 
in our day. It has also been found to be 
an habitué of realms more ancient still, and 
as deep down in those geological evidences 
of the world’s history known as the Jurassic 
Strata of the Secondary Era, that dateless 
date when reptiles swarmed and swam, and 
reigned supreme. Can any man, beast, or 
