Objects for the Microscope. 25 



pollen of Verbaseum ; the black pollen of the Tulip ; the 

 varied forms in the following flowers : 



Cucumber 



Crocus 



Cactus 



Cruciferse (order) 



Collomia 



Campanula 



Cobsea Scaudens 



Composite (order) 



Geranium 



Heath 



Daisy (one of the Com- 



positse) 

 London Pride 

 Saxifrage 

 Violet 

 (Enothera 

 Passion-flower 

 Lupin 

 Acacia 



A FEW WORDS MORE OX THE POLLEN. 



As I lay aside these slides, and desire you to seek for 

 varieties of pollen in the fresh sweet flowers around, the 

 thought arises that some who read thus far may wish to 

 know a little more of the structure of the flower they 

 gather, and the pollen they examine ; else the microscope 

 lesson loses half its value, and the student more than half 

 his pleasure. If it is possible, read some better book 

 Lindley's works, or Balfour's ' Botany/ where all is told, 

 and illustrated by plates ; but if you cannot do this, then 

 gather a flower and examine it thus : a Chickweed will be 

 easily obtained, and is the best for a microscope lesson. 



The organs of generation in flowers are the stamens and 

 the pistil : the stamens varying in number from two to 

 upwards of twenty; and the pistil, which occupies the 

 centre of the flower, having from one to many styles, the 

 upper part of which is called the stigma. The base of 

 the pistil, which is swollen and round, is the ovary. Cut it 

 open with a penknife or lancet, and you will see tiny white 

 cells on either side, which are the rudiments or beginning 

 of the future seed. The pollen fructifies each seed whilst 

 growing in the ovary, and the way in which it is accom- 

 plished has only of late years been discovered. 



The stamens are filaments bearing at the top single or 

 double caskets, called anthers, full of pollen-grains. When 



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