A THISTLE HEAD. 137 



it must possess some means of scattering its 

 seeds beyond the limits of severe competi- 

 tion ; it must struggle against uncongenial 

 climate and the ruinous changes wrought by 

 man ; and it must elude or repel the attacks 

 of herbage-loving and seed-loving animals. 

 One who is interested in the fascinating pe- 

 culiarities of common objects is often pained 

 at the sneering estimate put upon them by 

 less observant people. No one is prepared 

 to study nature so long as he regards auy 

 phenomenon, however slight in itself, as triv- 

 ial and unworthy his regard. He must not 

 attempt to play the critic with nature. He 

 must assume the attitude of a patient learner, 

 who accepts all things as worthy his study 

 and consideration. 



These thoughts were forced upon me by 

 the curious behavior of a ripe thistle head 

 which I carelessly picked in a morning ram- 

 ble. The involucre, or "leaves," of this 

 thistle head was snugly closed about the 

 closely packed pappus - bearing seeds. So 

 tightly were the seeds packed inside the in- 

 volucre that the long white plumes of pap- 

 pus stood rigidly erect. When a seed was 

 removed from the head the tension was re- 

 leased, and the pappus began to spread out, 



