The Story-Book of the Fields 



of the ordinary shape. They are all small, 

 pale and delicate, and arranged with wonder- 

 ful method so as to occupy the least possible 

 space and all to be contained in their narrow 

 cradle, notwithstanding their great number. 

 We are surprised to find how much a shoot 

 contains in its scaly case, in a space so small 

 that we could hardly make it hold a hemp- 

 seed : there are leaves by the dozen and whole 

 bunches of flowers. The bunch contained in 

 a lilac shoot has more than a hundred flowers. 

 If the different parts of a shoot were removed 

 one by one and the combination once taken to 

 pieces, would any fingers have the skill to 

 reconstruct it ? It is above all the leaves 

 that lend themselves to a thousand arrange- 

 ments so as to occupy as little space as 

 possible. All are in their place in the tiny 

 dwelling : none are torn or bruised. Within 

 the shoot they take the shape of cornets, 

 they roll over one edge or both ; they are 

 folded lengthways or along their breadth ; 

 they form a ball, crumple, or are creased like 

 a fan. 



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