MODELLING THE SEA- ASTER 337 



stems being from 12 to 20 inches in height, whilst the leaves 

 are less lanceolate, extremely thick and fleshy, and there is a 

 large proportion of flowers of which only the yellow and reddish- 

 yellow florets of the disc show, the florets of the ray being pale, 

 sparse, and in some cases hardly discernible, save as a short, 

 thin, and half-developed fringe. Owing to this cause, the sea 

 meadows, at some little distance, present a yellowish -green 

 appearance rather than the lilac to be expected. However, it 

 is amongst these dwarf plants, in which the yellow predominates, 

 that the marsh -waders derive their sustenance in the many 

 little pools of sea-water full of cockles, mussels, crabs, and other 

 crustaceans crawling over the- — to them — inviting ooze, and 

 from amongst them birds, such as teal, whimbrels, curlews, 

 and redshanks — especially the latter, — rise, and fall to the gun. 

 This striking flower, so garden-like and seemingly out of place 

 on salt-marshes, is therefore chosen as a fitting and beautiful 

 accessory to a study of, say " redshanks at home," and as it has, 

 probably, never been used for such a purpose until attempted 

 by the writer for the Leicester Museum, it will have the charm 

 of novelty to recommend it. 



The Flowers 



If a number of flowers are examined, it will, of course, be 

 seen that they have attained to various stages of development, 

 some of their centres or discs presenting a compact and even 

 appearance somewhat resembling a bouquet of microscopic 

 crocus-buds, whilst others — more advanced — appear more open 

 and uneven, owing to the outer ring or rings of " buds " {i.e 

 florets of the disc) having opened, each revealing a long pistil, 

 tipped with brilliant pollen, and surrounded by five minute 

 recurved petals. Others again, still more mature, have all the 

 florets of the disc expanded, some or all of the pollen having 

 disappeared, leaving the tips of the pistils {i.e. the stigmas) 



