ceedingly attractive to the common brown ant. From dawn until 

 twilight the glands are carefully tended, each ant seeming to 

 claim the tip of a separate branch as its own, and visiting all the 

 glands upon it with great regularity, reminding one of a like pro- 

 ceeding on the part of the yellow-bellied woodpecker after he has 

 sunk a series of wells in maple or birch. The advantage to the 

 plant in thus feeding the insects is not apparent, unless by this 

 method it confines their attention to the leaves and so escapes the 

 wasting of the pollen in the flowers. Perhaps some one can sug- 

 gest a better explanation. 



The Arctic Flora. — "In the polar regions." says Review 

 of Reviews, "the winter lasts far into April; in May the tem- 

 perature rises quickly and July is the warmest month in the 

 year, while in August the sun's radiation decreases. The ex- 

 plosion-like awakening of the polar plant life is also a result of 

 these sudden changes. In eight days the snow melts : green 

 leaves and blossoms cover trees and ground which a week before 

 were covered by deep winter snow. The higher north, the swifter 

 is this change from winter to summer. The rapid progress in the 

 maturity of the Arctic vegetation is also explained by the peculiar 

 constitution of the floral organisms. The buds of blossoms and 

 leaves are formed in the fall. When the warm season sets in 

 the buds have only to uncover and mature. In reality these polar 

 countries are veritable deserts, and the resources to fight the na- 

 ture of a desert are same in the Arctics as they are in the Sa- 

 hara, inasmuch as the plants of both regions have organisms 

 allowing the greatest possible economy with usable water. The 

 root sytem is very shallow, usually but five to fifteen cm. deep; 

 in greater depths there exists such a low temperature that no 

 humidity can be absorbed from it. The stem is covered by a more 

 or less heavy bark, and grows above ground usually with only a 

 few thin branches and leaves. These leaves indicate the water- 

 having nature of the plants. They are usually grouped in 

 rosettes, small and rounded, seldom parted and often as hard and 

 stiff as fir leaves, leathery or thickly fleshy." 



