THE SOLDANELLAS 63 



is at work. The energy for growth is suppUed by 

 the reserve food material stored up during the previous 

 autumn, not only in the underground stem, but in 

 the leathery, evergreen leaves themselves. As the 

 flower matures, the flower- stalk is pushed up through 

 the snow. It was formerly thought, on the authority 

 of the great Austrian naturalist, Kerner, that the 

 plant had the power of melting the snow and forming 

 a little dome-shaped cavity above the flowers. It 

 was believed that the heat necessary to melt the 

 dome was derived from the respiration (p. 11) 

 accompanying growth, that is, the conversion of the 

 raw food material into the substance of new tissues. 

 We are not, however, quite sure now whether this 

 plant really has the power of melting the snow above 

 it. No doubt dome-shaped cavities often occur 

 above the plant. One of these is seen cut across, in 

 the middle of the photograph on Plate XII., and 

 rather to the left-hand side, on the margin of the 

 snow. It is also a matter of common observation 

 and experiment, that young developing flower-buds 

 do set free considerable heat, their temperature rising 

 sometimes as much as 2° to 3° Centigrade above that 

 of the atmosphere. There was, therefore, much 

 inherent probability that Kerner's account was correct. 

 However, it is now doubted whether the heat set free 

 by the developing plant is sufficient to melt the snow 

 above it, and cases have been observed where there 

 is no dome-shaped structure to be found. What 

 does appear to be clear is, that once a dome-shaped 



