63 



hands to the hair of some passing animal or the clothing of a human 

 tramp, Sir Bur steals many a long ride, often relaxing his hold 

 only by going to pieces. The tail of the 

 old cow carries them over the fields (Fig. 37). 

 This, then, is liow he travels, but why f 

 What good does the journey secure for the 

 plant % 



Tear a bur apart and find within, among 

 dockakene *^^^ short twisted bristles, hard little brown- 

 ish-gray bodies, almost like miniature Brazil 

 (Fig. 



^S.—TJiehur 



nuts 

 38), that are 

 — what ? If 

 you liave not 

 thought you 

 will say 

 seeds, for 

 they look 

 like se e d s . 



37. — Burs stealing a ride. 



But are all seed-like bodies properly so called ? Where do these 

 little fellows come from ? 



If you have studied the flower in general, you will remember that 

 its important parts in view of its oflice of reproduction are the stccTnens 

 which produce the pollen and the pistil with its ovary or seed-case. 

 Within the ovary grow the small bodies which develop into the 

 seeds. Further, the ripened ovary with whatever parts may con- 

 solidate with it in development, and with the matured seeds con- 

 tained, is called the fruit. That is to say, we name things in natu- 

 ral history not alone from appearance and function or office, but 

 according to their origin and development. 



What then have we in the bur, seeds or fruits ? 



You would not think of calling a pea pod a seed would you ? 

 You know if you stop to consider that each pea is a seed, and the 

 pod with its peas is the fruit, because developed from the miniature 

 pod in the blossom which was the ovary, and contained the ovules 

 or young seeds. Similarly you easily distinguish morning glory 

 seeds from its fruits, the nasturtium seeds from the fruits. In all 



455 



