58 



BOYS AND GIRLS IN BIOLOGY. 



into bee-bread, which they feed upon all winter. I 

 don't know of any thing prettier under the microscope 

 than the pollen of different kinds of flowers. As soon 

 as the flour becomes dry enough, these little knobs or 



Ftg. 50. 



Flour-Box, 

 or Anther. 



Stein, or 

 Filament. 



Fro. 52. 



Fig. 51. 



Stamen, with its Flour- Flour-Box, or Anther, cut 



Box, or Anther. 



across, showing: four 

 Chambers full of Flour, 

 or Pollen. 



Flour, or Pol- 

 len - Grain cut 

 across — showing 

 the outer coats 

 and the Sub- 

 stance INSIDE. 



flour-boxes burst and let it all out. Why, we shall see 

 presently. The filaments, or stems, of nine of the sta- 

 mens all join together into one bundle or brotherhood, 

 and form a nice little tube (Fig. 49) ; but one of them 

 is a little " secessionist," he refuses to join the " union." 

 Within this stem-tube is the fourth and last part of the 

 flower, the pistil, a long, green body, with a pointed 

 end full of strong hairs standing up like the tuft from 

 the head of an Indian chief (Fig. 53). The first time I 

 ever told a certain little girl about the pistil, she wanted 

 to know if flowers could shoot with their pistols. She 

 did not know any thing about spelling then. The word 



