370 XXIII. LEGUMINOSAE 



made in the forest with the view of ascertaining the extent to which animals 

 assist in the natural reproduction of this tree, and no case has yet been met 

 with in which the seed was found to germinate without having been extracted 

 from the pods by animal agency ; on the other hand, the remnants of pods 

 broken up by animals have frequently been met with, and in many cases 

 young seedlings have been found during the rains in the neighbourhood of 

 these remnants. The animals which are known to eat the pulp of the pods, 

 and are therefore useful agents in the spread of the tree, are monkeys, jackals, 

 bears, and pigs ; there are possibly other animals also. Although many of 

 the seeds are scattered near the trees where the pods are eaten, without being 

 swallowed by the animals, some are swallowed, as the seeds have been noticed 

 in their excreta ; in this way not only are the seeds disseminated, but germina- 

 tion is probably accelerated, an important point in the case of hard leguminous 

 seeds of this kind. Some curious instances of natural reproduction traceable 

 to the presence of animals have been observed. In certain localities along the 

 base of the outer Himalaya the tree is so plentiful as to approach gregarious- 

 ness, and although reproduction is partly from suckers, yet seedlings of various 

 ages are also met with ; such places have always been noticed to be frequented 

 by numbers of monkeys, and there can be little doubt that they are the agents 

 directly responsible for the spread of the tree. 



As regards the time taken by the seeds to germinate under natural 

 conditions, the observations already recorded have been confirmed by other 

 observations in similar plots in which the seed has been extracted from the 

 pods and scattered on the surface of the ground, namely, that the seed 

 germinates chiefly during the rainy season after thorough soaking ; only 

 a portion of it may germinate during the first year, some lying dormant until 

 the second or even the third year before germinating. In the case of seed 

 lying on the surface of the ground much mortality is caused during germination 

 by the destruction of the radicle by birds and insects, or through drying up 

 in places exposed to the sun. Where the seed is buried by rain or otherwise, 

 which frequently occurs under natural conditions, germination is more suc- 

 cessful. A growth of grass, if not too rank, also protects the germinating seed. 

 High mortality among the seedlings is caused subsequently by damping off 

 where weed-growth is heavy. 



Much of the natural reproduction met with in the forest consists of root- 

 suckers ; this is particularly the case on hill-sides, in cuttings, and other places 

 where the surface roots are liable to be exposed. 



To summarize, the following facts have been established regarding the 

 natural reproduction of this tree from seed : 



1. Reproduction is effected mainly, and perhaps entirely, through the 

 agency of animals (monkeys, jackals, bears, pigs, and possibly others), which 

 break open the pods to eat the pulp and thus scatter the seeds or swallow 

 and disseminate them. 



2. The seed germinates during the rainy season, some lying dormant 

 until the second or even the third rains. 



3. Germination is favoured if the seed becoriies buried, and to some 

 extent if it is protected by a moderate growth of grass ; if the seed lies on 

 the surface of the ground much mortality takes place during germination 



