SPRING NATURE STUDY. 561 



buds. As the buds develop, and the brown scales spread 

 out, the children will see how thin the scales are, and will 

 discover the fur along their edges to keep out the rain or 

 snow. When the outer scales drop off, leaving a distinct 

 ring-scar they will see, in many buds, flattened silky masses, 

 somewhat like the little " bunch of grapes " in the lilac and 

 horse chestnut. Let the children discover in their later ob- 

 servations of the tree that these form flowers, and from some 

 of them the beech-nuts develop. Do not tell them. Between 

 these flower clusters, often enclosed by additional brown 

 or brown-tipped scales, are several slender, silky, light green 

 masses. Let the children find out what they are. As they 

 expand, each leaf is seen to be enclosed between two narrow, 

 delicate scales, and to be covered with silky hairs. Each 

 leaf is folded lengthways along the midrib, and plaited 

 somewhat like a fan. Cut a piece of paper the shape of a 

 leaf, mark on it the midrib and veins, and show how the 

 leaf is folded and plaited along the veins. All the scales are 

 modified stipules, but it is doubtful whether little children 

 will understand this. To older pupils it may mean much, 

 showing how nature uses the same part for many purposes. 

 The buds of the linden or basswood are somewhat like 

 those of the beech in arrangement and plan. They are two- 

 ranked; their scales are modified stipules, more leaflike 

 than in the beech ; the leaves are doubled, but not plaited. 

 They are much simpler than the beech, but not so beautiful. 



THE ELDER AND BOX-ELDER BUDS. 



In both, the buds, scales, and leaves are opposite. Both 

 may contain flowers with the leaves. In both the leaves 

 are compound, each leaf composed of several parts or leaf- 

 lets. In these the scales are modified leaves, and frequently 

 all gradations can be found between the scales and the com- 

 pound leaves ; that is, the outer pair of scales may be short, 



