434 The Museum Gazette 



the trees afford. If the upper part of the tree be brought into 

 evidence it will in the case of the beech afford conclusive 

 proof, the delicate tracery of the curving twigs being unap- 

 proached by any other tree. Between the oak and the 

 chestnut there may be some difficulty. The absolute leaf- 

 lessness of the chestnut, whilst the oak on the contrary 

 almost always has a few scattered dead leaves remaining, 

 the straightness of the twigs of the chestnut as compared 

 with the short irregular ones of the oak, and the presence of 

 dead wood in the latter, may all give help. A very common 

 condition on the boles of oaks is the presence of tufts of little 

 twigs, with now and then a small branch. When there are 

 branches at this time of year they almost always carry dead 

 leaves. Many of the tufts or patches to which we refer bear 

 no twigs more than half an inch high, and others are merely 

 covered with an immense number of buds. If there is one 

 on a tree there are sure to be many. There is no doubt 

 that they are initiated by the attacks of some gall-fly, and 

 certain observations which have been made at Haslemere 

 would seem to connect them with the Trigonaspis crustalis. 

 These growths are seldom seen on any other tree than the 

 oak, but now and then they are produced on the birch near to 

 the ground. On the oak they may be seen high up as well as 

 low down. The beech has a different mode of growth from 

 any other tree, its branches having a tendency to become 

 horizontal. It also very usually retains some dead leaves, and 

 these are always more abundant on the lowest parts of the 

 tree. 



Of the coniferous trees there is only one, the larch, which 

 sheds its leaves, and its mode of growth is so peculiar v and 

 so well known that nothing need be said as to its identifica- 

 tion. To any one who inclines to attempt the task by the 

 aid of the bole alone, it may be of interest to note that the 

 bark of the Scots pine is deeply fissured and the cracks take 

 the form of long vertical lines. The bark of the spruce is 

 thinner and is at once recognised by the polygonal or circular 



