158 THE STORY OF THE PLANTS. 



ripen ; while the fig is a hollow stalk, in which 

 numerous tiny fruits, commonly called seeds, are 

 closely embedded. 



In all these cases animals act as willing agents 

 in the dispersal of fruits or seeds. But some- 

 times the plant compels them to carry its seeds 

 against their will. Thus the fruits of the hounds- 

 tongue (Fig. 46) consist of four small nuts, covered 

 with hook-like prickles, which cling to the coats 

 of sheep or cattle. The beasts rub these annoy- 

 ing burdens off against bushes or hedges, and so 

 disseminate the seeds in suitable places for ger- 

 mination. The double fruit of cleavers (Fig. 47) 

 is also supplied with similar prickles, while that 

 of herb-bennet (Fig. 48) has a long curved awn 

 which makes it catch at once on any passing 

 animal. 



There are a large number of fruits, however, 

 w r ith richly stored seeds, which desire rather to 

 escape the notice of animals, some of whom, like 

 squirrels and dormice, try to make their living 

 out of them. These we call nuts. Their tactics 

 are the exact opposite of those pursued by the 

 edible fruits. For the edible fruits strive to 

 attract animals to disperse them; the nuts, on 

 the contrary, having the actual seed richly stored 

 with oils and starches, desire to protect it from 

 being eaten and destroyed. Hence they are 

 generally green when on the tree, so as to 

 escape notice, and brown when lying on the 

 ground beneath it. Cases of these protectively- 

 arranged fruits, with hard shells and often with 

 nauseous external coverings (some of which are 

 not regarded as nuts in the strict botanical 

 sense), are the walnut, the hazel-nut, the coco- 



