226 

 TICKLE-GRASS TUMBLERS 



By Byron D. Halstead 



In the wagon paths through the unmowed fields, around 

 Southern Pines, N. C, the brown tops of a grass {Leptochloa 

 vmcronata Michx.) have accumulated knee-deep, and therefore 

 very noticeable to a wanderer in by-paths for health. 



Each tip is composed of from twenty to forty very slender 

 flexible awns, averaging six inches in length, arranged along the 

 main axis. The awns of the basal portion of the head are much 

 deflexed, those at the middle stand out at right angles to the 

 axis, and the upper third of them extend upward, there being a 

 terminal one, that is directly upright and is a counterpart of the 

 main stem, that breaks off about four inches below the lower- 

 most set of awns. This stem is held securely in place upon the 

 plant by the three or four, usually four, leaf-sheaths, and from 

 which, when mature, it is easily pulled. It is straw-colored and 

 in sharp contrast with the other parts of the inflorescence, which 

 are reddish, and when the feathery "ball" is in motion, is easily 

 followed in its gyrations. This ball is about fifteen inches in 

 diameter, of extreme lightness, and is able to remain at rest 

 in almost any position. When the stem end is downward, the 

 axis is usually inclined at nearly forty-five degrees from the 

 perpendicular, due to the fact that the deflexed branches are 

 not stiff, and usually two or three more or less bent ones are 

 opposed to the stiff main stem in making the "feet" upon which 

 the whole "plume" rests. When placed top down, the smooth, 

 straw-colored stem may be perpendicular but is usually tilted 

 somewhat sidewise, while three or more awns make the "tripod" 

 upon which the "airy nothingness" is poised. Perhaps the most 

 stable position is when the main axis is horizontal, about seven 

 inches from the surface of support, and then four to seven legs, 

 like "daddy long-legs," are in commission. In this position the 

 whole ball can sway with the breeze in the direction of its main 

 axis, thus bringing new "legs" into service. 



By gathering the "tumblers" before they have become de- 

 tached from the stalks, they can be carried in considerable 



