TREES THAT MANUFACTURE 119 



special benefit. Many a hopeless suitor or hard- 

 pressed fugitive has delved into the bounteous 

 shelter of some hollow oak just in the nick of time. 

 Regicides and other types of patriotic criminals 

 have lived for weeks within the bodies of trees. 

 Think of all the gold, the town-charters, and the 

 love-letters which have found the same resting 

 place ! 



Trees are very faithful parents; they build vari- 

 ous types of vehicles to send their offspring out 

 into the stream of life. The bladdernut launches 

 little seed boats on the neighbouring streams in 

 order that its children may have a chance to make 

 their own way in the world, and sometimes these 

 tiny boats are so carefully sealed that they may 

 be used as submarines and the tiny seed-passengers 

 may dive beneath the waves in safety. The ash, 

 elm, and maple have tiny wings by means of which 

 their children ride the wind out into the big world 

 where they may have a chance to properly grow 

 and develop. 



In the tropics is found a most unusual plant 

 known as the cannon-ball tree. It drops its im- 

 mense fruit with a hollow, reverberating thud which 

 sounds like the falling of a cannon-ball. In the 

 stillness of a jungle at night these reports sound 



