266 The Scottish Naturalist. 



we find examples of such in the yew and the spindle tree (Etion- 

 ymus). Among exotic plants a frequently-quoted instance of 

 this method is the nutmeg, the seed of which is the size of a 

 pigeon's egg. It is covered with the fleshy mace, and is swal- 

 lowed for this by large fruit-eating pigeons, and is widely dis- 

 persed by this means* At one time the Dutch tried to restrict 

 the cultivation of nutmegs to the Banda islands, in order to 

 retain a monopoly of them, and destroyed the trees on the other 

 Malay islands ; but their efforts were vain, as the seeds were 

 continually conveyed to these islands from Banda by the birds. 

 Very commonly the walls of the carpel become fleshy in whole 

 or in part, and remain indehiscent. Such fruits may be divided 

 into the two groups of (a) berries, with the whole wall soft, 

 enclosing numerous seeds ; and (b) drupes, where the outer part 

 of the wall is fleshy, but the inner layer is leathery or stony as 

 in cherries, enclosing usually not more than two seeds, generally 

 only one. Both groups are well represented among us. Of 

 berries we have the gooseberry and currants, the barberry, 

 privet, vacciniums, honeysuckle, crowberry, potato, Solomon's 

 Seal, and various others. Of drupes we have the cherry, gean, 

 sloe, and a few others of a similar nature. The raspberry and 

 bramble are merely masses of small drupes crowded on a 

 slightly-fleshy stalk. A modification of the drupe is seen in the 

 apple, pear, rowan, and others of the genus Pyrus, in which the 

 leathery carpels are sunk completely into a cuplike fleshy flower- 

 stalk, which enlarges greatly as the seeds ripen. In the haw- 

 thorn, well known to be much eaten by many of our birds, the 

 structure is much as in Pyrus, only the carpels are of stony 

 hardness. In roses the flower-stalk is hollowed out and encloses 

 a number of small one-seeded carpels, generally mistaken for 

 seeds. The rosehip is this flower stalk much enlarged, fleshy, 

 and sweet ; it is very attractive to various animals. The straw- 

 berry, on the other hand, is a convex flower-stalk much enlarged, 

 and becoming sweet and fleshy as the seeds ripen. The so- 

 called seeds on its surface are small one-seeded carpels. They 

 are swallowed with the edible part, and the seeds are protected 

 by the carpels in their passage through the intestine. These are 

 the various adaptations met with among our native plants that 

 favour this mode of dispersion, but I may be permitted to note 

 one or two additional parts that become fleshy in fruits of other 

 lands. The mulberry at first glance looks not unlike a bramble, 

 but is essentially different, being made up of a number of flowers, 



