A Vkky Imkllioknt Plant 



267 



sheep or rabbits. Hut if tlie j^orse were to con- 

 tinue loiij^ in this unarmed coiuhtion, it would 

 stand a poor chance in 

 hfe on its open hillsides ; 

 so it soon proceeds to 

 the statue exhibited in 

 Xo. 4. This illustration 

 shows you a plant about 

 a tortnij^ht or three 

 weeks old, with trefoil 

 leaves below, passin^f 

 gradually into silky and 

 hairy sinj^le blades, 

 which in turn j^row 

 sharpei' and thinner as 

 they push upward to- 

 wards the unoccupied 

 space above their native 

 tliicket. Interspersed 



anion^ these sharp little 

 leaves you will also note 

 a few jfrooved branches, 

 each endinj^ in a stout 

 prickly point ; these 

 prickles are the chief de- of- 

 fence of the bush aj^ainst 

 its watchful enemies. 

 But the leavis and the 

 branches are often so 

 much alike that only a 



skilled botanist can distinguish the one from the 

 other. Both are sharp and intended for defence ; 



NO. 4. 



IIIK VOINi; SIIRIII HRC.INS 

 10 A KM 1 IsKl 1-. 



