38 MINUTE MARVELS OF NATURE 



ornament even exists in Nature without serving 

 some other definite purpose. 



And while speaking of ornaments we may look 

 at the surface of a common scarlet geranium's 



Fig. 24. The petal of a geianium lias a surface of 

 cells like this 



petal. How is its invitingly soft and velvety 

 appearance produced ? we ask of the microscope ; 

 and Fig. 24 shows the skin-cells in this instance, 

 not elongated and hair-like as in the hairs of the 

 pansy, but with central elevations or papillae, 

 which reflect the light ; and so the velvety gloss 

 of the petals of many flowers is effected. 



We will take one other simple skin tissue, and 



