“Four or five inches,” she continued, “will span its waist, or trunk, and this seems a very good reason for calling it little.  Another name for this tree is poplar birch, because the triangular-shaped leaves, which taper to a very long, slender point, have a habit of trembling like those of the poplars.  The branches are of a dark chocolate color which contrasts very prettily with the grayish-white trunk, and their extreme slenderness causes them to droop somewhat like those of the willow.  The white birch will spring up in the poorest kind of soil, and it is found in the highest latitude in which any tree can live.  Its leaf is ‘deltoid’ in shape and indented at the edge.  The bark of this species is said to be more durable than any other vegetable substance, and a piece of birch-wood was once found changed into stone, while the outer bark, white and shining, remained in its natural state,”

“I don’t see how it could,” said Malcolm.  “What kept it from turning into stone too?”

“Its peculiar nature,” was the reply, “which is a thing that we cannot explain, and we shall have to take the story just as it is.  We certainly know that the wood has been proved to be very strong, and it is much used for timber.”

“Is the red birch really red, Miss Harson?” asked Clara, who thought that this promised to be the prettiest member of the family.

“The bark has a reddish tinge, and it is so loose and ragged-looking that it has been said to roll up its bark in coarse ringlets, which are whitish with a stain of crimson.  The red birch, which is more rare than any of the other kinds, is a much larger tree than the white birch, but, like all its relations, it is very graceful.  The wood is white and hard and makes very good fuel, while the twigs are made into brooms for sweeping streets and courtyards.”

“But there isn’t very much red about it, after all,” said Malcolm.

“It wasn’t red,” murmured Edith; “it was green;” and the next moment “the baby” was fast asleep, but Miss Harson was afraid that she had taken the snake with her to the land of Nod, so restless was her sleep.

“I hope the yellow birch is yellow,” said Clara again.

“We will see what is said of its color,” replied her governess, “and here it is:  ’Distinguished by its yellowish bark, of a soft silken texture and silvery or pearly lustre,’ It is a large tree, and has been named excelsa—­’lofty’—­because of its height.  The slender, flowing branches are very graceful, and the tree is often as symmetrical as a fine elm, but droops less.  The roots of the yellow birch seem to enjoy getting above the ground and twisting themselves in a very fantastic manner, and, taken altogether, it is a strikingly handsome and ornamental tree.  The wood was at one time much liked for fuel, and many of the logs were of immense size.”

“Now,” said Malcolm, gleefully, “the canoe birch has got to come next, because there isn’t anything else to come.”