110 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
to fermentation. This is the case with many Indian species 
of Ficus, and you will all have observed how frequently plants of 
“ Peepul,” Fisus religiosa, “ Banyan,’ Ficus indica, and “ Umbar’’ 
Ficus glomerata, spring up on walls, roofs, and on stems of other 
plants, &c., on places where the seeds could not have been deposited 
except by birds. The naturalisation in India of several plants, as 
the Guava, the Custard apple, Lantana camara, Passiflora suberosa, 
Rauwolfia canescens, Rivinia, and many others may be explained by 
the action of birds. It is, however, worth noticing that the seeds of 
such fruits are generally well protected, either by a hard shell or by 
acrid qualities, as in the custard apple and the guava. Several 
species of plants are said to be distributed by the aid of insects, and 
as examples of such have been mentioned oranges, limes, papayas 
and coffee. 
The plants themselves have occasionally fruits, that in force of 
their peculiar structure, greatly assist in spreading the seeds. 
Such fruits are the elastically bursting seed-vessels of Oxalis corni- 
culata, Balsams, Momordica Balsamina, Rungia parviflora, Calotro- 
pis gigantea, &c. The sudden bursting of the fruit, even when not 
elastic, will frequently occasion a shock, sufficiently strong to 
spread the seeds. In other cases the seeds remain in the fruit after 
its bursting, but have then generally some other adaptation for 
distribution, as the winged seeds of Pterospermums, the shining 
bright red seeds of Adenanthera pavonina, which, probably owin g to 
their colour, are carried away by birds or insects, or the birds 
are attracted by the gay colour of the pericarp, asin Sterculias, 
Taberne montana erispa, Gymiosporia Rothiana, Momordica ; 
Charantia, &c. The sweet arillus of many seeds, as found in 
Pithecolobium dulce, is probably a similar adaptation. 
A very peculiar feature, evidently intended to effect a dense 
growth of plants of the same species, within suitable localities, &c., at 
the same time protecting the seed against salt water, is represented by 
some of our sea shore plants, which form the well known Mangrove 
swamps, as Rhizophora and Algiceras. In these the ripe seed ger- 
minates on the mother plant, and with its long radicle and narrowly 
adpressed leaves forms a stick-like plant. This, when finally Separa- 
ing, buries itself in the mud, where it, on account of its shape, is 
singularly adapted to withstand the movements of the tide. A 
somewhat similar example is afforded by Crinum asiaticum, where 
the seeds frequently germinate in the capsule and form small bulbs, 
