Sunshine, Rain, and Wind 
In the common red loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria) the 
rain falling on the leaf is led down the groove of the stalk, 
and then by a bold sweeping curve of the leaf base down- 
wards ; it then runs down the grooved stem and passes 
over the next bud below, where it is strained through a 
row of small reddish hairs which intercept all dust. 
In many of the dead nettle order (Mentha aquatica, 
Galeopsis tetrahit) there is a raised line which connects 
the opposite leaves and which seems at first to be a use- 
less ornament, But the water from the leaf-stalks spills 
across above this line, and its dust is strained out by 
special rows of hairs, 
Naturally one of the objects of this book is to tempt 
some readers at least to examine plants for themselves ; 
these rain gutters and grooves and straining hairs are 
easy to trace and interesting, for no two systems are 
alike, That there is useful material to be found amongst 
the dust is obvious from the small table which follows, 
and which shows what were actually found in the 
gutters :— 
Pollen. Paar Bac- | Fungus} Rust | Lichen 
| Mites. 
coccus. | tet! Spores. | Spores. |Soredia. 
Lythrum Salicaria 
Mentha aquatica 
Agrostis alba 
Phlox (garden) . . 
Lysimachia barystachya 
Michaelmas daisy 
Veronica longifolia 
Polygonum saghaliense 
Harpalium rigidum 
Eryngium dichotomum 
Antirrhinum majus 
Cucurbita pepo . 
Pht tixxdixte 
xxxxxx [| xxxxx 
xxxxXxXxxxx [| XX 
| xxxxxxxx | xx 
fel tiwl Lilie 
}lLtbxxxx [xx 
PxtxTTtiltl 
Such things as pollen, alge, and spores of all kinds 
are extremely rich in nitrates, phosphates, and other 
193 N 
