NEWS OF SPRING 



nation by birds and which, to entice them, as in the case of 

 the Mistletoe, the Juniper, the Mountain-ash, lurk inside a 

 sweet husk? We see here displayed such a powerful reason- 

 ing faculty, such a remarkable understanding of final causes 

 that we hardly dare dwell upon the subject, for fear of repeat- 

 ing the ingenuous mistakes of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. 

 And yet the facts can be no otherwise explained. The sweet 

 husk is of no more use to the seed than the nectar, which at- 

 tracts the bees, is to the flower. The bird eats the fruit be- 

 cause it is sweet and, at the same time, swallows the seed, 

 which is indigestible. He flies away and, soon after, ejects 

 the seed in the same condition in which he has received it, 

 but stripped of its case and ready to sprout far from the at- 

 tendant dangers of its birthplace. 



4 

 But let us return to simpler contrivances. Pluck a blade 

 of grass by the roadside, from the first tuft that offers, and 

 you will perceive an independent, indefatigable, unexpected 

 little intelligence at work. Here, for instance, are two poor 

 creeping plants which you have met a thousand times on 

 your walks, for we find them in every spot, down to the most 



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