THE WIND AND THE FLOWERS 167 



which the pollen may lodge like yellow snow-drifts 

 as seen in the sectional drawing. On the under 

 side of each scale, near the base, two little ovules 

 are waiting. They have no pistils but, instead, 

 small openings leading within. At each opening 

 is a little drop of moisture which catches and holds 

 the pollen grains brought by the wind. The fluid 

 gradually dries up, drawing the pollen grains with- 

 in the pollen-chambers to the ovule, which thus is 

 fertilised. Then the scales of the cone close, and 

 the whole cone droops upon its stem as a protection 

 against the rain. It increases enormously in size 

 while the seeds are developing within. A year and 

 a half pass by before the scales open again, but this 

 time to release a flight of little winged seeds, which 

 go whirling away to grow into new trees, if they 

 can.* 



Angiospermous flowers, whose ovules are con- 

 cealed, necessarily put forth enormous stigmas to 

 catch the flying pollen. 



The staminate and pistillate flowers are some- 

 times clustered into separate catkins, as in the hazel 

 and beech. 



The sketch of a chestnut bough in bloom shows 



* See Contribution to Knowledge of Life History of the Pine by 

 Margaret C. Ferguson, in Bulletin of Washington Academy of Sci- 

 ences, 1906. 



