TREES THAT KEEP A DIARY 79 



here, overcame some heavy obstacle there, was in- 

 jured and even thrown to the ground by lightning 

 at another point, rose with dogged determination 

 and was finally aided in its renewed struggle by the 

 additional air and light afforded through the death 

 of a neighbour. So far-reaching are these external 

 indications of tree-history that it would seem as 

 if we could sometimes read a sylvan love-story and 

 see a male tree (that is, one bearing male or pollen- 

 producing flowers) incline toward a female, or 

 some forest patriarch stand mourning over his dead 

 wife. 



Even scientists admit that trees have their laws 

 of marriage and courtship. The Indian fig tree 

 is such an ardent lover that he will actually take 

 on the form of a vine if his mate chances to grow 

 a distance from him, and by this means reach out 

 his arms that he may embrace her and powder her 

 face with his perfumed pollen. It it not uncommon 

 in a great forest to see trees affectionately embrac- 

 ing each other. Not a few trees have become ex- 

 tinct as a result of intermarriage with foreign trees, 

 or different species. In some cases a healthy hybrid 

 is produced, but more often there are no offspring. 



Bark tells much ; in fact, it may be said to repre- 

 sent the private note book of the trees a place 

 where all secrets are written. The outer covering 



