THE ADAPTATION OF ORGANISMS 71 



to best advantage in the animal world, though numerous 

 examples may be cited from the vegetable. Among 

 plants the lower the rank of the organism, the less pro- 

 vision is made for it, but the higher we go in the plant 

 world, the more effective are the measures taken to 

 insure the offspring having a chance in the struggle for 

 existence. Among the higher plants, for example, we 

 find that the offspring, the embryo, is usually well 

 supplied with a store of food to tide it over its infancy. 

 Again, as the number of the offspring produced by a 

 plant is exceedingly large, and as it would be practically 

 impossible for any to live if they remained in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the parent, some means must be adopted 

 to scatter the offspring over as wide an area as possible. 

 We see the results of these endeavours in the various 

 devices adopted by the various plants ; some, for instance, 

 have developed balloon-like attachments to the seeds, 

 which guarantee that the wind will help in their dis- 

 persal, or it may be parachute-like arrangements of 

 hairs which serve as floats ; others adopt devices by 

 means of which the seeds are shot out to a distance 

 from the parent. Another series of plants surround 

 their seeds with luscious fruit in the hope that birds 

 and other fl.rnma.1a will aid in their dispersal. Others 

 develop all sorts of hooks and processes which fasten 

 the seed to whatever moving thing comes into contact 

 with them, and thus are assured of a wide dispersal, and 

 consequently a better chance in life. All these devices 

 are evidences of the struggle the plants are making to 

 adapt themselves to their environment, and to use it 

 to their advantage. 



