Autumn 



jewel-weed, or touch-me-not. You will 

 become so fascinated with the ingenious 

 mechanism which causes the little seed- 

 vessel to recoil from your touch with an 

 elastic spring which sends the seeds far 

 into the neighboring thicket, that you 

 will hardly leave till the last tiny advent- 

 urer has been started on his life-journey. 



On the hillside grows a shrub with 

 wavy -toothed leaves, and a nut-like fruit 

 which has been ripening all summer. We 

 know that this is the witch-hazel, because 

 little bunches of fragrant, narrow-petalled 

 yellow flowers are bursting from the 

 branches. All the blossoms may not ap- 

 pear for some time yet, but when the fruit 

 has ripened and the leaves are fallen they 

 will surprise us like a golden prophecy of 

 spring. Break off and carry home a fruit- 

 ing branch. Soon the capsules will snap 

 elastically apart, discharging in every di- 

 rection their black, bony contents; the 

 action of the parent plant somewhat re- 

 144 



