Fruits and Seeds 21 



it remains the colour of the leaves and passes unnoticed 

 by the birds ; but as the seed ripens the surrounding 

 fruit takes on a sweet taste together with a bright red, 

 black, or white skin which makes it easily seen from 

 a distance. The seed itself either drops accidentally 

 from the bird's beak or, being protected either by a 

 stone or by a slippery skin (as in apple pips), is 

 swallowed and passes uninjured through the bird. This 

 is how it happens that wild roses and other bushes are 

 sometimes seen growing half-way down the face of a 



Fig. 13. Coco-nut, showing the light fibrous husk in which it grows. 



precipice and in other similar places that are inaccessible 

 to anything but birds. Small animals like squirrels and 

 field mice are very fond of nuts. As they run to and 

 fro with them, adding to their winter store, many will 

 be dropped and forgotten and will in time become 

 trees. 



Every time you go for a scrambling country walk 

 you probably yourselves act as unconscious carriers of 

 seed. Have you not often when you got home picked 

 quantities of burrs from your clothes ? You very likely 



