6 4 



IRambles witfe Ittature Students 



dark brown bud scales begin to open and reveal 

 the silky down within, then, as the sun gains 

 power, these outer scales fall off, and the pure 

 white catkins become conspicuous. They daily 

 grow in size, until, attaining maturity, they are 

 covered with pollen of a rich golden yellow. This 



SALLOW CATKINS. 



pollen is highly attractive to the newly awakened 

 humble bees. These may be seen clustered upon 

 the blossoms, not only feeding themselves, but 

 carrying away provision with which to store their 

 cells. 



It is interesting to observe that while the willow 

 has only one bud scale, the lime tree has two, and 



