AND THE WILDERNESS BLOSSOMED 



from the danger of the mower, and lo ! up went 

 the new stems three or four inches into the air, 

 while their brethren in the grass still continued 

 to hold their flowers close to the earth. Do 

 flowers think ? Look at the Dock- Weed in the 

 unused corner, and see how it sends its leaves 

 luxuriantly a foot nearly into the air, while its 

 stems bearing flowers and incipient seeds are 

 taller still. Then look at another specimen in 

 the lawn, invaded so frequently by the mower, 

 and you will find its leaves prostrate, so close to the 

 ground that no knife of mower can touch them, 

 and the stalk carrying the precious seeds is 

 scarcely an inch in height. 



Man is so conceited that he will not acknowl- 

 edge that any other form of life than his can 

 reason or think, have the faculty of perception, 

 or give expression to thought. Nonsense ! All 

 animals think, most of them talk, and some have 

 high reasoning powers ; and why. not plants ? 

 Down on the Chesapeake a winged-tipped goose 

 is often saved alive to be used as a decoy. An- 

 chored among the wooden cheats, he will gener- 

 ally see the approaching game before you do, and 

 his " Se-Honk ! Honk ! " will turn the flock in 

 your direction. Why does he call ? Is it in the 



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