ON FRUITS AND SEEDS. 



357 



which are still unex^^lained ; in fact, it is because this is so that I 

 was anxious to direct attention to the subject. Still I believe the 

 general explanations which have been given by botanists will stand 

 any test. 



Let us take, for instance, seeds formed on the same type as that of 

 the ash heavy fruits, wdth a long wing, knowm to botanists as a sa- 



FiG. 15. a. Hakpagophttox proccmbens (natural size) ; b, Mabttnia proboscidea (natural 



size). 



mar a. Now, such a fruit w^ould be of little use to low herbs, w^hich, 

 however, are so numerous. If the wing was accidental, if it was not 

 developed to serve as a means of dispersion, it would be as likely to 

 occur on low plants and shrubs as on trees. Let us, then, consider on 

 what kind of plants these fruits are found. They occur on the ash, 

 maple, sycamore, hornbeam, pines, firs, and elm ; while the lime, as 



