ACOR.VS. 
5 
third tree will perhaps be of a narrow conical form, with no 
terminal pit whatever. Then, again, there are oaks whose fruit 
inclines to a cylindrical conformation. We often find speci- 
mens, too, whose contour is not quite symmetrical, the central 
axis being more or less curved — the effect probably of over- 
crowding. A perfect acorn in its cup is, indeed, a beautiful 
object ; the contrast of its smooth glossy skin with the rough, 
granulated texture of the protecting cup has a particularly 
pleasing effect. 
The cup too, apart from the acorn, is a very pretty object, 
though like many other beautiful but common natural produc- 
tions it attracts but little attention. There are probably many 
persons who have hardly ever noticed either acorn or cup since 
the time when they put away childish things. Yet even to them 
the sight of an acorn cup must sometimes serve to recall those 
happy, half-forgotten days of the dim past, when real pleasure 
and enjoyment were procured from the simplest sources, and 
the various natural objects found ready to hand supplied ample 
material for absorbing games and pastimes. Acorn cups served 
as make-believe tea cups, or baskets ; or perhaps represented 
birds’ nests, with a few seeds of some sort put in for eggs. Deft 
fingers too, would, by making spout and handle of tiny twigs, 
transform an acorn into a very tolerable teapot. 
The cups vary a good deal in form, some being shallow 
and saucer-like, while others are deeply cup-shaped. Those 
having the edge slightly turned inwards are very suggestive of 
a bird’s nest — that of a chaffinch or goldfinch for instance. At 
an early stage of growth the cup closes in so much as almost 
to hide the acorn. The compressed scales which give to the 
outside its rough appearance are arranged in oblique parallel 
rows following the curve of the cup. They are large and some- 
what irregular at the base, where the substance of the cup is 
thickest ; and diminish in size more or less gradually as they 
approach the thin rim or margin. Their shape bears some slight 
resemblance to that of a split chestnut. 
But beautiful as is the form of the acorn, its colouring is not 
a whit less attractive, indeed the main purport of these lines is 
to draw attention to the regular cycle of harmonious tints and 
combinations of tints through which it passes during the process 
of ripening. 
On attaining its full growth the acorn is all over of a full, 
rich and very lovely green, inclining to olive, with the exception 
of the small portion covered by the cup, and the little point at 
the apex. The disc in contact with the bottom of the cup is at 
first an opaque yellow-grey, and is surrounded by a space of pale 
delicate Naples yellow, showing at first a tinge of primrose. It is 
lighter in colour than the rest of the surface, and the combination 
of the two tints is singularly pleasing and harmonious. The 
small projecting point is a neutral grey, but it often acquires 
a reddish look by contrast with the surrounding green. An 
