COMMON OBJECTS WORTH EXAMINING. 285 



size in the leaves of every plant,- and the stomata or 

 breathing pores also present very varied shapes, being 

 most abundant on the under surface. The cells are usu- 

 ally empty ; occasionally, however, they contain some 

 chlorophyl grains and sometimes diffused coloring mat- 

 ter. The cuticle can be sliced off with a sharp razor, 

 but a better way is to strip it off by tearing the leaf in 

 a manner easily acquired but hardly describable. The 

 piece obtained may be very small, but it will probably 

 be sufficient for examination. All cuticles should be 

 examined in water. 



14:. DEUTZIA SCABRA, a handsome shrub now very 

 common in cultivation, has leaves of special interest on 

 account of the beautiful stellate hairs studding the sur- 

 face. The cuticle may be removed and viewed as a 

 transparent object, or a portion of the leaf may be ex- 

 amined by reflected light. By either method the ob- 

 server will be pleased and interested. These stellate 

 hairs are hard, brittle, and glass-like, and they are occa- 

 sionally so well developed that they are visible to the 

 naked eye as minute glistening stars. Under a good 

 pocket-lens they are at all times apparent. They are 

 most abundant on the upper surface. 



15. OLEANDER LEAVES (Nerium Oleander, a shrub 

 frequently cultivated) have large stomata, which contain 

 beneath the general surface of the leaf, but often pro- 

 jecting from the aperture of the breathing-pore, many 

 short, variously curved hairs. To observe them, cut 

 with a sharp razor a very thin slice across the leaf, 



