454 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



He ceased to crow, and devoted him- 

 self to the task of winning back at 

 least part of his lost harem. He would 

 find a choice bit, and cluck and call 

 and offer his treasure in the most per- 

 suasive manner, but all to no avail, and 

 he "flocked all by himself" another 

 day. 



When night came Prof. W. noticed 

 that he did not go to roost with the 

 others, but crept into a box with the 

 old hen and her brood, to assist in 

 hovering the chicks. They were at a 

 very uncomfortable age, but he stuck 

 manfully to his self-appointed task. 



and half sitting, half standing, hovered 

 the chicks. 



Next morning he had one follower 

 — his devotion had won the heart of 

 the old mother hen, and she stayed by 

 him all day ; and thereafter first one 

 and then another of the hens rallied 

 around his standard. 

 Thus, when he found that martial 

 glory was not for him, he "went in" 

 for favor as a pattern of domestic vir- 

 tue — and won. 



Yours truly, 



Nellie B. Pendergast. 



A PLEA FOR TAME PLANTS. 



BY MISS W. C. KNOWLES, WASHINGTON, 

 CONNECTICUT. 



I had planned to give a rainy day 

 nature talk to a party of friends on the 

 piazza and for illustration had placed 

 on the porch table material gathered 

 in woods and fields and from a neigh- 

 boring window garden. As I came be- 

 hind the group who were examining 

 my botanical bouquet, I heard one of 

 the company exclaim, "Why, that thing 

 is just a common house plant." 



The tone of surprise plainly showed 

 that at least to one mind nature study 

 with regard to growing things must 

 be confined to wild flowers from their 

 native haunts. I have often been temp- 

 ted to use the term "tame flowers" for 

 house plants because it so nearly ex- 

 presses our proper relation towards 

 these plant strangers from over the 

 sea or from different parts of our own 

 land, which, like many of our animal 

 pets, certainly lived in a wild state be- 

 fore we made their acquaintance. 



Do you know your tame plants? 

 Man}' interesting observations may be 



made by those who carefully study 

 their indoor plants while the snow may 

 be flying outside. 



Some few years ago an amaryllis, a 

 native of South America, found its way 

 into my window garden and the mech- 

 anism of its unfolding flower bud has 

 been of never failing interest. The 

 flower stalks, which often measure 

 twenty-five inches in length, bear twin 

 lilies six inches in diameter which are 

 folded in a green sheath until they 

 show r their red coloring. The red se- 

 pals are much narrower than the petals 

 and each sepal has a small greenish 

 white projection at its point forming 

 grooves or tiny pockets into which the 

 tips of the petals are inserted. 



By means of these grooves the petals 

 of this large flower are wonderfully 

 packed into small space. In one half of 

 the bud two petal tips are inserted into 

 the grooves of the sepal growing be- 

 tween the petals. The tip of the third 

 large petal, upon which the stamen 

 cluster rests in the open flower, is in- 

 serted between each of the remaining 

 sepals. Contact and pressure due to 

 this arrangement keep the two halves of 



