54 



BOYS AND GIRLS IN BIOLOGY. 



plant keeps, so this extra water passes off through the 

 stomates, or little mouths, of the leaves. Each little 

 green cell of the leaf is like the laboratory of the 

 protococcus, where the chemist splits the carbonic acid 

 into carbon and oxygen, keeping the carbon, but send- 

 ing out the oxygen through the mouths, or stomates. 

 This passage of gases, fluids, and minerals, through and 

 into the plant, is what is meant by the hreathing and 

 digestion of plants. Now we will take a look at the 

 flower ; it too has a foot-stalk, called a peduncle, or lit- 

 tle foot, by which it is fastened to the stem (Fig. 43). 



Fig. 44. 



The Five Leaves, or Sepals, 

 of Cup. 



The Flower-Cup, or Calyx, of Bean. 



Counting from the outside of the flower inward, you 

 will come to four different sets of things, arranged in 

 circles, or whorls. First, outside is a pretty green cup 

 with five points on its edge (Fig. 44) ; this cup is called 



