COMRADES OF THE PLANT WORLD 
ask from their tree-hosts is a branch on which 
to perch. There are probably few trees which 
are not delighted to have such delicate, fairy- 
like creatures add to their own beauty and 
charm. They wear them much as a woman wears 
a rose in her hair. 
In America there are well-mannered para- 
sites such as the decorative Spanish Moss so 
common throughout the South. This plant is 
normal in all respects; except that, perched on 
a kindly tree, it draws all its nourishment from 
the air instead of through soil-piercing roots. 
The Mistletoe is a perfect example of a 
mutualist. Early in its aerial life, it sends a 
root through the bark of its tree companion 
and during the spring and summer, absorbs 
much food. When winter days come, and the 
tree has lost its leaves, the grateful messmate 
reverses the process and sends into the heart 
of its friend the larger part of the nourishment 
which it has been able to store up during the 
prosperous weeks of summer. The seeds of 
the Mistletoe are interesting because they are 
covered with a sticky fluid which enables them 
to travel from tree to tree on the feet of birds. 
[65] 
