764 Handbook oj Nature-Study 



Horse-chestnuts, the coin of the small boy. 

 Photo by 0. L. Foster. 



3. Take a single flower ; describe the form of the calyx. Is it smooth 

 or downy ? Are the lobes all the same size ? Are the petals all alike in size 

 and shape ? What gives them the appearance of Japanese paper ? Are any 

 connected together ? Are they all splashed with color alike ? 



4. How many stamens are there? Where do you see them? What 

 color are the anthers? Search the center of a flower for a pistil with its 

 green style. Do j'ou find one in every flower? Could a bee reach the 

 nectar at the base of the blossom without touching the stigma ? Could she 

 withdraw without dusting herself with pollen? 



5 . How long after the blossom does the young fruit appear ? How does 

 it look? How many nuts are developed from each cluster of blossoms? 

 What is the shape of the bur? Into how many parts does it open? De- 

 scribe the outside; the inside. Describe the shape of the nuts, their color 

 and markings. Which make the best "conquerers," those which grow 

 single in the bur or as twins ? Open a nut. Can you find any division in 

 the kernel? Is it good to eat? 



Horse-chestnut Twigs and Leaves in Spring — 6. Are the buds on the 

 twigs nearly all the same size ? Where are the larger ones situated ? What 

 is the color of the buds ? How are the scales arranged on them ? Are they 

 shiny or dull ? What do the scales enfold ? Can you tell without opening 

 them which buds contain flowers and which ones leaves? 



7. Describe the scars below the buds. What caused them? What 

 marks are on them ? What made the "nails" in the horseshoe? Has the 

 twig other scars ? How do the ring-marks show the age of the twig? Do 

 you see the little, light colored dots scattered over the bark of the twig? 

 What are they ? 



8. Describe how the leaf unfolds from the bud. What is the shape of 

 the leaf ? Do all the leaves have the same number of leaflets ? Do any of 



