288 



SHARP EYES 



plicity. Only as much as shake the twig, or, what is 

 better, give the cone a pinch at its tip, and see how 

 quickly it takes the hint to be off. Firm and compact 

 indeed ! In the continuous disintegrating shower that 

 follows, and which leaves nothing but a short, stiff stem, 

 we may well wonder at the trick that has so long kept 

 the cone together. 



The secret has been held by the sentinel at the tip 

 of the cone. When he once opens the door the entire 

 troop takes flight. 



On examination it will be 

 seen that these birdlike 

 scales and light-brown, filmy 

 seeds have been arranged in 

 circles and tiers around a cen- 

 tral stem or core to which 

 they were once joined. In 

 ripening they have become 

 free, and are then held in 

 their compact shape only by 

 contact and pressure, the whole 

 elastic mass being locked by 

 the hard scale at the tip. Let 

 this or any other part be- 

 come dislodged, the structure 

 crumbles away. ( 



And this is how the snow 



becomes peppered with the tiny birds. But these are 

 not the seeds ; these we rarely see, even in winter. The 

 scales being the heavier, fall near the trees, while the 

 light, filmy-winged seeds are blown to the ends of the 

 earth. 



