240 SYLVAN WINTER. 



residents in the country, can see for themselves 

 with little trouble, if they.,wish to minutely study 

 the ways of kind Nature in this department of her 

 great laboratory. Few dormant seeds, perhaps, 

 are there that look less interesting and less 

 attractive, and more brown and dead, than the 

 pods which depend plentifully from the twigs of the 

 Common Laburnum. Let us take one down from 

 the tree in mid- Winter, and look at it. The pod 

 is dark brown and dead -looking, and the marks 

 on the outside indicate the position of the seeds 

 within. It is a pretty sight that is disclosed 

 when it is opened, splitting as it does into two 

 parts longitudinally ; for a beautiful provision is 

 made within for protecting the seeds from the 

 wintry cold. The pod is two inches long, and 

 contains six purple- black and somewhat kidney- 

 shaped seeds attached by their indented sides to 

 the side of the pod, three seeds each side, arranged 

 alternately, so that when the pod is closed, they 

 are in a line, and economy of space is strictly 

 observed. The pod is lined in each trough or 

 half with a very pale yellow, silky lining, which 

 separates from the hard and shiny substance of 



