384 NATURE STUDY. 



grass of the, lawn, where they will sleep all summer and all winter, 

 and next spring will come out again, wide-awake young dandelions. 

 And see there, the yellow-birds are taking the gray plumes to weave 

 into the lining of their nests, and hundreds of little shivering birds 

 will be thankful another year that the golden blossoms were changed 

 to dandelion down.' 



" So the dandelions are spinning silk to line the birds 7 nests with, 1 

 said Floss-Hair ; l and grandmamma sits and spins for me. Dear 

 grandmamma, your hair is gray and soft like dandelion-down, I 

 hope no cruel wind will ever blow you away from me.' 4 But, little 

 one, my hair was once all fly-away gold like yours. Call me Dande- 

 lion-Down, the phantom of a little Floss-Hair that played among the 

 meadow blossoms seventy years ago.' 



" 4 No, no, grandmamma, I will not call dandelion-down a ghost 

 any more ; it is a little, common yellow flower turned to an angel, 

 scattering blessings about the world, like a white-haired grandmamma 

 I know, who has kind words always ready to give everybody. If 

 people could only be sure of growing good and lovely as they grow 

 old ! ' 



" The next spring little Floss-Hair strayed silently among the dan- 

 delions ; for the chair in the doorway was vacant, and the spinning- 

 wheel was still. But the child's heart was not wholly sad. Her 

 memory was a nest of warm and tender thoughts, that seemed flutter- 

 ing back to her from the dear, silver-haired friend, now one of the 

 white angels of heaven." LUCY LARCOM. 



DIVISION INTO LESSONS. 



Lesson I. How the Dandelion Seeds are Made. 



Step I. How the Milk is Stored for Flowers and 



Seeds. 



Step II. How the Flower Buds are Protected. 

 Step III. How the Florets are Protected. 

 Step IV. How the Flower gets Help from the Sun. 



Lesson II. How the Dandelion Seeds are Lifted Up and 



Scattered. 



Step I. How the Flower is Lifted Up. 

 Step II. How the Corollas are Pushed off. 



