2 NATURE TEACHING 



inside a special protecting sheath, and covered with a 

 sticky liquid which prevents them from drying up. Con- 

 tinue these observations on the other plants to hand. 

 Carefully sketch all the buds examined. 



Examine shoots of the common red clover. At the 

 end of each will be found a bud completely enclosed at 

 first by a pair of greenish-white structures, the stipules 

 of the next older leaf, inside which all the young parts 

 are packed away. Notice how the bud gradually opens, 

 and how in the older leaves the stipules gradually dry 

 up and look mere useless bodies. Compare this 

 arrangement with the pansy, where the stipules persist 

 as green, leaf-like bodies. Examine also the buds of 

 the garden geranium, and note in particular how the 

 stipules, which look so small compared with an old leaf, 

 are really able to help protect the leaves whilst these 

 are young and small. Make sketches to show all these 

 arrangements, drawing young leaves protected by the 

 stipules, and older leaves with their comparatively small 

 and useless looking stipules for comparison. 



Collect, in the autumn, twigs of the horse chestnut, 

 and notice the large buds. Make a sketch of a twig, 

 showing the buds and the scars left by the fallen leaves. 

 Examine a bud more closely, and notice how it is 

 covered by a series of overlapping brown scales. 

 Commencing at the base of the bud, pull off the scales 

 one by one, and see how they are stuck together by a 

 sticky resinous material. When all the outer scales have 

 been removed, examine carefully the inner portion of 

 the bud, and see that it consists of young leaves, beauti- 

 fully folded up and .packed together and covered with 



