A PLANT THAT MELTS ICE 



37 



of such soldanella borings ; others above are in 

 process of formation ; and if you cut a piece open 

 you will see inside how each is produced, with 

 its narrow tunnel below, its balloon in the centre, 

 or later, its saucer-shaped depression on the sur- 

 face. Moreover, 

 if you look at 

 the foliage on 

 the bare ground 

 beneath, you will 

 find that, when 

 the flowers open, 

 the leaves are 

 no longer thick 

 and swollen. All 

 the fuel they con- 

 tained has by 

 this time been 

 burned up for 

 warmth ; all the 

 formative mate- 

 rial has been duly 

 employed in mak- 

 ing the buds or 

 blossoms, with the 

 Stems that raised 

 them ; and no- 

 thing now remains but drained and flaccid skele- 

 tons from which every particle of living matter has 

 been withdrawn and utilised. Later on new leaves 

 are produced in turn from the root-stock, after the 

 ice has melted ; and these new leaves, raising 



NO. 5. FLOWER VISITED BY A BEE, WHICH 

 FERTILISES IT. 



