IX 



PLANTS THAT RIDE ON ANIMALS 



r I THERE are many kinds of plants that seem 

 A to desire to go out into the great world and 

 accomplish something but have no plumes nor 

 wings, nor airships, such as the dandelion possesses, 

 by which they may fly. Their children are not shot 

 into the world, as are those of the oxalis ; they have 

 not the power of the squirting cucumber ; they can 

 not roll and tumble, like the Rose of Jericho; nor 

 can they float to a safe destination, like the cocoa- 

 nut ; they cannot walk, as do many of the ferns and 

 grasses ; nor do they have the beauty to attract birds 

 and animals, as do the cherries and plums ; yet they 

 grow tired of staying in one place and must, like 

 other plants and animals, find a way whereby they 

 may travel into the big world. Their seeds must 

 be distributed in new soils and various places suit- 

 able for their best development; and this they do 

 by the simple method of taking a ride ! And many 

 and varied are their beasts of burden. 



Some stick to the feet and wings of birds and 

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