THE PLANT AS A PARENT 57 



the plants, and away they go scudding over the 

 country until they settle in some situation from 

 which they cannot escape. The seed vessels of 

 the Thistle often rise to a height of thirty feet 

 in the air, and when at this elevation it is not 

 unreasonable to suppose that they travel a mile 

 or more before finally settling down. 



Following after the Thistle there is a whole 

 host of plants producing seed vessels which have 

 tufts or crowns of hair as attachments. The 

 pretty little parachute-like device of the Dandelion 

 seed, the hairy tufts of the Willow Herb and Bul- 

 rush vessels, all materially assist in the dispersal 

 of the plant's progeny over a wide area. A little 

 plant, common enough in some meadows, known 

 as Thrincia hirta, produces two kinds of seeds ; 

 one is provided with hairy appendages, the other 

 is not. The former are specially adapted for 

 travelling over a considerable distance, whilst 

 the latter are for the perpetuation of the species 

 nearer home. 



The seeds of many trees, although they cannot 

 rival the length of flight accomplished by the 

 Thistle, are by means of their formation wafted 

 to a considerable distance. If the fruit of an Elm 

 be examined a curious wing-like expansion is 

 found, which when a moderate breeze is blowing 



