SEEDLINGS, FOODSTORES AND GERMINATION. 87 



through the soil, but curves slightly from side to side ; 

 therefore the soil particles are more easily displaced and 

 slip over it 



These seed leaves or cotyledons are, generally speak- 

 ing, more simple in structure than mature leaves. In 

 the case of some Arctic Saxifrages, this original cotyledon 

 shape is retained by all the leaves, probably on account 

 of the severe conditions preventing any further develop- 

 ment. But in most cases the cotyledons, either because 

 they have to be packed in the seed, or because they 

 are filled with food materials, show little variation 

 and no particular adaptations to resist their enemies. 

 Hence the great destruction of plants at this period 

 of life. 



As Lubbock has described all the important types, a 

 further description of seedlings is not required. The 

 growth of the young leaves and shoots of bulbs and 

 rhizomes are much more interesting. Some of the 

 commonest objects in early spring are well worth care- 

 ful examination. For instance, the bracts and bracteoles 

 of Snowdrops overlap at the tip and are connected by a 

 thin white covering like oil paper ; the two first leaves 

 of the Daffodil are pressed together, and have in outline 

 the shape of a lance head, so that they can when grow- 

 ing upwards pierce the soil or penetrate the foliage 

 above them ; the developing Lily of the Nile has also a 

 very neat arrangement, but any bulbous plant is sure to 

 be worth examination. The Dog's Mercury is particularly 

 interesting, as the young stems are bent over so that 

 they can more easily grow up through mosses and dead 

 leaves. Each leaf is rolled at its edge in such a manner 

 that the rather square and tough midrib protects it. 

 All the leaves and the stipules fit together in such a 

 way that they form a sort of conical surface attached 



