74 THE NATURE-STUDY OF PLANTS 
one might almost think that she had forgotten the 
proper thing to do. 
However, mice and squirrels, among other animals, 
like a diet of this sort, and, of course, the nuts that 
they eat do their work in the world by feeding the 
hungry instead of producing more Beech trees. But 
both these animals indulge in the provident habit of 
storing up food, and while they may forget the hiding- 
place, neither of them can by any means be sure of 
living long enough to make use of the store, hence a 
certain number of them remain where they are buried, 
and we all know what happens to sound seeds under 
such circumstances. 
The Beech nut is particularly interesting because, 
if we pick up some of the fruits in a damp wood we 
shall find it extremely difficult to force open the four 
woody valves that enclose, as a rule, two nuts; we 
need not, however, trouble about that, for all we have 
to do is to put them on the mantelpiece. As they 
dry the valves will open widely, and if we then put one 
of them into a cup of water it will not be long before 
they close up again. This always strikes me as a 
delightful contrivance, for when the fruit is carried off 
in the damp autumn and stored in a dry place the 
nuts will get loose, and afterwards the rains will supply 
the moisture necessary for germination. 
But probably the most interesting of all the 
creatures that carry about seeds are the ants. 
There are many of our common plants which 
depend very greatly upon their services. I find them 
in my garden a great nuisance in this and in other 
ways, although my interest in them is very much 
greater. One of my worst weeds is the Petty Spurge, 
and, thanks to the ants, it appears in all my beds and 
