THE NOVEMBER SEED-CROP 67 
of the lesser animals and a few even of the larger ones, like 
the woodchuck, now fat and drowsy. She removes the greater 
number of the birds by migration to feed in summer climes. 
There remain to be fed through the winter only a small pro- 
portion of the birds and a larger proportion of the mammals, 
including ourselves. All these are by nature improvident— 
given to eating to excess when there is plenty, forgetting 
future needs. So, she makes it impossible that any lusty 
foragers, or all of them put together, shall be able to dissipate 
and waste her patrimony. She keeps it ina considerable part 
from them against the hour of need. If she grows luscious 
fruits which, when ripe, will fall into their mouths she, also 
grows roots underground, and imposes the labor of digging to 
get them. If some of her seeds ripen all at once and fall 
readily, others ripen at intervals, and are held tightly in their 
husks. It takes labor to get them. The animals that eat in 
winter have to work their way. 
Nature’s population is suited to her 
products. Her seed-eating rodents 
are all armed with stout chisellike 
teeth, adapted for cutting anything, 
from the nutshells to chaff. Her seed- 
eating birds are armed with stout, 
seed-cracking, husk-opening beaks. 
Her little birds are agile, and can 
cling with their feet to swaying twigs, 
Fic. 38. Specialized seed- and ravage the loaded seed-cones 
the feet of a Porcupine: pendent upon them. The beaks of 
€, the, beaks of agrest the crossbills are especially adapted to 
ing the seeds of pine extracting the seeds from the cones of 
our evergreen trees. 
The seeds we cultivate for food are cereals and lentils. 
With the exception of maize they came with our ancestors 
from other climes. Some of the native cereals have heavier 
