THE OPENING OF THE BUDS, CONTINUED 



51 



maple (Fig. 50) shows the bud-scales (1, 2, 3, 4) 

 greatly enlarging, and the arrangement of them 

 is peculiar. These great green scales suggest 

 leaves. Fig. 51 is a 

 sprig of black currant. 

 Here it is seen that 

 some of the scales 

 actually produce small 

 leaf-blades on their 

 tips. It is also no- 

 ticeable that there is a 

 gradual progression in 

 size of leaves, as there 

 is in the apple (Fig. 

 44). Now let the pu- 

 pil examine the open- 

 ing buds of the va- 

 rious plants which he 

 meets, and he will 

 soon come to the con- 

 clusion that bud- scales 

 are only modified 

 leaves. Or, to state 

 the case more accu- 

 rately, bud-scales and leaves are only difEerent 

 forms of one kind of plant member. 



53. We have concluded that bud-scales are 

 homologous with leaves because we have seen 



Fig. 50. 

 Expanding shoot of Norway maple. 



