/;/.s7'/:a's7().v or I'h'nrs .wd shkds 237 



crown of br. inched feathers which the wind can 

 bear aw.i\' to a consideraljle th'slance. 



Ihe hcnulsonie willow-herb, which adds so much 

 colour and beautv' to our ri\er banks, bears its seed 

 in lunj^, narrow p(jds, and these, when ripe, split 

 up into five se^tncnts which, curling back as they 

 open, leave the down)' seeds free to be carried off 

 b\- the passing; breeze. 



Hird ai^rcncy in seed dispersi(jn is a most inte- 

 resting; subject, and one can but admiie the wonder- 

 ful way in which the services of wini^ed creatures 

 are made available. 



Succulent berries and sticky fruits are hii^hly 

 attractive to man)' kinds of birds, and whilst they 

 re\'el upon the sweet, soft flesh of the berr)', the 

 seeds which they swallow with it are enabled to 

 resist the action of dii^estion b)' a hard covering 

 which protects the kernel until the shell shall 

 deca)" and allow the seed to germinate. In this 

 way 1 find m)' garden in early spring quite thickl)- 

 strewn with the seeds of the Irish ivy, always a 

 favourite food of the common wood-pigeon which 

 is so frequentl)' to be heard cooing in my woods. 

 The seeds of atpiatic plants (jften cling to the 



