LITTLE WANDERERS. 
giving each one a little plume by which it can be 
blown about by the wind. 
Everybody knows the pretty, fluffy, white-headed 
dandelions that come after the yellow flowers. 
Children often blow on them " to see what time it 
is." If all the seeds fly away but one, they say it is 
one o'clock ; if two remain, they say it is two o'clock, 
and so on. 
They also blow on them to see if " mother 
wants me," as every child knows. 
Each little silky part that flies away is a 
seed case and its plume. 
If you look carefully at the part of the 
dandelion that flies about, you will see the 
little brown seed case at one end, shaped 
something like a tiny cucumber, and with 
little teeth near its top. 
Out of its top grows a silky white stalk, and at the 
end of this is a tuft of soft little hairs by means of 
which the seed case can float in the air. 
Each dandelion seed case contains one little seed, but 
the case fits the seed so closely that most people speak 
of the whole thing — seed case and seed together — as 
the seed. The proper name for such a seed case and 
its seed is akene. # Not all akenes have plumes. 
The top of the dandelion stem is a flat cushion, and 
the little akenes, when the seeds are ripe, stand on it, 
* a-ken' 
Seed case and 
plume mag- 
nified. 
