7) 
THE BIRCH. 
BETULA ALBA. 
“ I find myself 
Beneath a weeping birch (most beautiful 
Of forest trees, the lady of the woods)." 
This sketch of the birch is not less correct than it is 
poetical. There is an elegance in its general appearance 
which fully justifies the poet’s fancy, and entitles it to 
the appellation he has given it, of “ lady of the woods.” 
In every season, and under all circumstances, it is a 
lovely object; nothing can exceed the tender hue of its 
vernal leaves, as they wave to and fro in the sunshine. 
In summer, perhaps, it loses something of its beauty, as 
its bright tints then subside into a more sober green; 
still it preserves its gracefulness of aspect. In autumn it 
almost more than regains what it lost in summer; whilst 
winter, which deprives most other vegetable productions 
of their charms, by displaying more fully the slight 
silvery stem and delicate ramifications of the birch, 
seems but to invest it with new attractions. 
f 4 
