84 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 



to go; so the tiny seeds have to wait, just as other 

 children, for the ice to freeze over before they 

 can skate. The mother plant has had to hold her 

 arms, or branches, which bear the children, carefully 

 above the snow until the ice has become right. Then 

 along comes a bunch of hungry little birds who, 

 in their efforts to get the seeds for food, scatter 

 them upon the snow and ice. But not all of these 

 seeds skate. Some prefer to play in the snow, 

 digging a house in a big snowdrift and soon be- 

 coming covered up, where they must sleep till the 

 warm sunshine melts the snow and releases them. 

 Some plants, like the common locust, make ice- 

 boats by means of their long pods, which have 

 fallen to the ground and burst open. There are 

 always an equal number of seeds clinging to each 

 side, gleefully begging to be taken for a sleigh 

 ride across the icy fields ; and they do not have long 

 to wait. Along comes the kind wind, and away 

 the pod-sleighs go, rattling over the snow and ice. 

 Some of the seeds drop off on the hill top, others 

 travel to the valley below; and still others cling to 

 the boat, as though they were fearful of going out 

 into the great world. But each of the locust's seeds 

 is well clothed and protected. They are very hard, 

 and their parent tree has so coloured them that 

 they are not easily seen by hungry birds. 



