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rudiment of the foot-stalk remains to preserve 

 the bud. He took the trouble of pointing out a 

 little triangle of thorns behind the young bud, 

 which seems to be another beautiful contrivance 

 of nature for its protection in that bush. We 

 then observed this point of separation in other 

 trees whose leaves were not at all gone, and he 

 told me that it is very strongly marked in the 

 horse-chesnut with five small dots. 



I begged my uncle to tell me what I should 

 particularly pay attention to in the course of our 

 observations. 



He said that as it has never yet been ascer- 

 tained whether the leaves spring from the wood 

 or from the bark, he would advise us not 

 merely to observe the progress of the buds, but 

 to take every means of tracing their connection 

 with the interior. We may examine with his 

 microscope all sorts of twigs, to see whether the 

 vessels of the central part of the wood extend to 

 the leaf-stalk ; and he suggests that we should 

 very carefully observe the difference of structure 

 in evergreen leaves, and in those which perish in 

 the autumn. He recommends us to lose no 

 further time in beginning our task on the few 

 remaining leaves, in order that we may see in 

 spring whether evergreens shed their leaves in 

 the same manner ; and we are also to ascertain 

 when their buds are actually formed. " Above 

 all," he says, " I advise you to take nothing for 



