A FIRST LESSON IN BOTANY. 33 



The boys quite concurred in the justice of his observations, 

 but Jimmy said : 



" There is nothing I should like better than to know some- 

 thing of Botany, but there seems so much to learn that I am 

 almost afraid to begin." 



" Oh, nonsense," exclaimed Mr. Meredith ; " let me give you 

 a first lesson in it now. I suppose you know the names of 

 all the most common flowers; but just look at their beauty. 

 See how this hedge-bank is yellow with primroses, and yonder 

 you see the faint blue of the violets peeping from their bed 

 of dark-green leaves, and here is the white blossom of a straw- 

 berry, which I pluck to show you of what a flower consists. First 

 there is the root, through which it draws its nourishment from 

 the earth. Then there is the stem, and on the top of that is 

 this green outer whorl or circle of leaves, which is called the 

 calyx. Within the calyx is the corolla, which is formed of 

 petals, which in this case are of a beautiful white. The corolla 

 is the part in which the colour and beauty of a flower generally 

 resides. Within the corolla are the stamens, and within the 

 stamens are the pistils. The stamens and the pistils are the 

 organs of reproduction, and the yellow dust or pollen which 

 you see on most flowers is the medium by which the seeds are 

 fertilized. Now this flower which I have just plucked is the 

 wood-sorrel. Notice its threefold emerald-green leaf and the 

 delicate white flower with the purple veins. It is pretty, is it 

 not ? See, if I strike it roughly, it shrinks and folds up some- 

 thing like a sensitive plant. It is a capital weather-glass. At 

 the approach of rain both its flowers and leaves close up, and 

 even if a cloud passes over the sun the flowers will close a 

 little ; and, finally, its leaves taste of a pleasant acid. There, 

 you will have had enough of my lecture for the present, but 

 I should like to tell you more about flowers some other time." 



The boys were both pleased and interested with what he 

 had told them, and expressed their thanks accordingly ; and 

 then Mr. Meredith left them and went home to dinner. 



" I say, he is a brick of a fellow," said Jimmy " if all parsons 

 were like that man everybody else in the world would have a 

 better time of it." 



They went into the boat-house and sat at the open window 

 looking over the sparkling broad. Frank said : 



" I tell you what we must do. We must get Meredith to give 



D 



