78 



THE BIRCH. 



were made of birch twigs ; the use, therefore, of 

 the weapon, which, in modern times, is the terror 

 of idle schoolboys, is of high classical authority. 

 Branches of this tree were formerly used for 

 decking the houses in Rogation week, as Holly 

 is at Christmas. Gerard says the branches " serve 

 well to the decking up of houses and banquetting 

 roomes for places of pleasure, and beautifying the 

 streetes in the Cross, or gang, weeke " (the same 

 as Rogation week) and such like." 



The Birch is a native of the colder regions of 

 Europe and Asia. Throughout the whole of 

 the Russian empire it is more common than 

 any other tree, being found in every wood and 

 grove from the Baltic Sea to the Eastern Ocean and 

 frequently occupying the forest to the exclusion of 

 almost every other tree. It grows from Mount 

 Etna to Iceland ; in the warmer countries being 

 found at a high elevation in the mountains, and 

 varying in character according to the temperature. 

 In Italy, where it grows, though it appears from 

 Pliny's account not to have been noticed by the 

 ancients, it forms little woods at an elevation of 

 six thousand feet; on some of the Highland 

 mountains it is found at the height of three 

 thousand five hundred feet. In Greenland it is 

 the only tree ; but wherever it grows it dimi- 

 nishes in size according to the decreased tempera- 

 ture to which it is exposed. 



The peculiar characteristics of the Birch are, 

 as it has been remarked, lightness and elegance, 

 qualities which are owing to the slenderness of 

 the main stem in proportion to its height, the 

 wiriness of the branches, and the thinness and 

 small size of the foliage. It is equally remark- 



