THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



242 



from four to six, whilst in the two 

 latter they are usually from eight to 

 twelve. In all the species the flowers 

 are varying shades of bright scarlet or 

 crimson, often with" a dark purple spot 

 at the base of the petals, which in the 

 two last species are in two pairs of 

 unequal size. The parts of the flower 

 being so large, are good practice for a 

 beginner to examine their structure 

 and. relations to each other. The green 

 calyx splits into two halves, and falls 

 off immediately after the petals expand. 

 In the yellow Californian poppy 

 (Eschscholtzia), a very common garden 

 annual, flowering in autumn ; the whole 

 calyx separates from below and is 

 pushed off by the expanding petals 

 like the extinguisher of a candle. 

 Whilst the flower-buds of the poppy 

 are forming the stalks are curiously 

 bent, giving the buds a nodding 

 appearance; but when fully developed, 

 they straighten and expose the glowing 

 bosoms of the flowers to the full sun. 

 At first, when the calyx is ruptured 

 and the petals uncovered, they are seen 

 to be curiously crumpled up, having 

 been deftly packed away into the small- 

 est possible compass. It must strike 

 an observer with astonishment to note 

 the marvellous rapidity of apparent 

 growth in the petals during the first 

 few minutes after their exposure to the 

 bright sunshine; but, in point of fact, 

 there is little, if any, actual growth 

 after expansion : the petals only shake 



out their wrinkles as a laundress 

 smoothes out the creases of her crum- 

 pled linen with a hot iron. The pro- 

 cess is therefore not the same as the 

 expansion of the wings of an insect 

 when it emerges from its chrysalis 

 stage. Like so many insects the 

 poppy petals are remarkably short- 

 lived ; they are so evanescent that 

 they drop off as soon as the flower 

 is pulled. Burns uses this simile in 

 oft-quoted lines from Tarn o' Shanter :- 



" But pleasures are like poppies spread, 

 We seize the flower, their bloom is shed ; 

 Or like the snowflake on the river, 

 A moment white, then melts for ever." 



The bright colouring pigment of the 

 petals will stain the hands, and is 

 utilized in forming a coloured syrup^ 

 The stamens are very numerous, and as 

 they overtop the stigma and mature 

 early, the pollen is often shed on the 

 stigmatic surface before the flower ex- 

 pands and is left as a dust on the top 

 of the ovary, which is the most promi- 

 nent and permanent part of the flower, 

 forming a convenient point for the 

 insects to alight on when they visit 

 the blossoms. The stigma does not 

 reach the receptive stage till the other 

 parts of the flower have fallen away, so 

 that the poppy, although capable of 

 self-fertilization, is largely dependent 

 upon the visits of insects. Although 

 it is very obvious that the arrangements 

 for this purpose are not so peifected 

 as in the dead-nettle, for example, 



