196 THE OPEN BOOK OF NATURE 
shed pollen very freely. The female catkins are 
quite as conspicuous as the male ; they are not small 
and insignificantly budlike as in the Hazel, and, 
of course, each little flower in the catkin bears a 
stigma, which catches the pollen from the male 
flowers. Plants bearing male flowers are often some 
distance from others bearing female flowers, so the 
Sallow seems to have decided not to depend entirely 
upon the good offices of the wind in distributing its 
pollen. The wind helps considerably, but should 
the wind fail, the Sallow is sure of the services of 
insects, which visit it freely in the flowering season, 
and carry much pollen from plant to plant. The 
Sallow may be seen in fine bloom in April and 
May ; in good seasons I have seen it as early as 
March. On bright days in early spring you can 
observe a busy commerce taking place between it 
and the bees. 
I think the Hazel and the Sallow will never 
cease to interest us; they are conspicuous when 
flowers and woodland foliage are scanty ; we asso- 
ciate them with the spring and regard them as 
heralds of a leafy spring, a flowery summer, and a 
fruitful autumn. 
What flowering plant could be sweeter to gaze 
upon than the dainty, fragile little Wood Sorrel 
(Oxalis Acetosella) ; it is so common that everybody 
knows it, yet not so common as to be treated with 
contempt. I do not think we shall ever cease to 
regard this little plant with some curiosity. For 
one thing, it is associated with the name of St. 
Patrick, and is commonly regarded as the true 
Shamrock by which that worthy man used to 
