196 THE TREE BOOK 



oval leaflets number five, or more, often seven, 

 and center on the leaf -stalk by their tapering 

 bases, forming great leaf-fans which effeetually 

 hide the tree branches and make ideal canopies 

 for birds' nests. But for some reason the birds 

 do not fancy them and appear to shun the tree. 

 Who knows why? 



Everything about the horse-chestnut seems to 

 be planned in a characteristic fashion entirely 

 its own, and it has a seeming passion for beau- 

 tiful effects. The flower buds, like the leaves, 

 are a delight from the very beginning. They 

 open into exquisite bunches of creamy white 

 flowers, with little spots of pink, yellow and 

 purple reflecting the sun's rays. The orange- 

 colored anthers protrude from the flowers on 

 long filaments in groups of seven. The blos- 

 soms have a unique fashion of pointing upward, 

 and their fragrance is so strong and unmistak- 

 able that one could easily find the tree blind- 

 folded. The bumblebee finds them exactly to 

 his liking. He settles down over the protrud- 

 ing stamens, with his legs fitted comfortably 

 into the spaces between the petals, and cares 

 nothing at all for the heavy pollen which fairly 

 powders his underparts, as he thrusts his pro- 

 boscis into the nectar sac at the base of the 

 flower. Nor does he tarry long at the feast. 



