122 CHAPTER XVI. 



Here is a piece of information for amateur 

 gardeners : the right moment for planting Gourd seeds 

 is while the church bells are ringing on Easter eve ; 

 so say the peasants. I suppose a chapel bell would 

 do just as well. Some chapels make noise enough 

 on a Sunday morning to start any Gourd seed germi- 

 nating. Still one could hardly expect the jangling of 

 schismatical bells to have the same effect as the 

 orthodox carillon. 



" Poets and moralists," says A. R. Wallace, 

 " judging from our English trees and fruits, have 

 thought that small fruits always grew on lofty trees, 

 so that their fall should be harmless to man, while 

 the large ones (such as Pumpkins) trailed on the 

 ground. Two of the largest and heaviest fruits 

 known, however, the Brazil-nut fruit (Bertkolletia) and 

 the Durian of Borneo, king of fruits, grow on lofty 

 forest trees, from which they fall as soon as they are 

 ripe, and often wound or kill the native inhabitants. 

 From this we may learn two things : first, not to 

 draw general conclusions from a very partial view of 

 nature ; and secondly, that trees and fruits, no less 

 than the varied productions of the animal kingdom, 

 do not appear to be organized with exclusive 

 reference to the use and convenience of man." 



La Fontaine's villager came to the conclusion 

 that a Pumpkin is much safer lying on the ground 

 than hanging from an Oak tree. When an acorn 

 strikes him on the nose, he remarks : 



" Que serait-ce done 



S'il fut tombs de 1'arbre une masse plus lourde, 

 Et que ce gland eftt ete gourde ? " 



This philosopher, though the acuteness of his intellect 

 prevented him from sleeping, did not quite exhaust 



