RELATIONS TO ANIMATE ENVIRONMENT 109 



agency of birds. That is to say, these bright colours are, so to 

 spealt, a device on the part of the plants to secure the dissemin- 

 ation of their seeds. Thereby intraspecific competition is re- 

 duced, and an extended range and continuance of the species is 

 secured. Some plants, indeed, appear to owe their very exist- 

 ence to the agency of birds ; as, for example, in the case of 

 the mistletoe. The part played by Thrushes in this distribution 

 is well known, as witness the name " Mistle-thrush ". But it 

 is generally believed that the seeds of these viscous berries are 

 deposited in the crannies of the bark of trees by the bird's beak. 

 To this it is supposed they become attached as they escape 

 from the sticky pulp when this is squeezed. And to rid itself 

 of the annoyance the bird is said to rub the beak vigorously 

 across the bough until successful in transferring the offending 

 particle to the bark. 



As a matter of fact, however, the berry is swallowed whole 

 and the seed escapes when the faeces are expelled. In sup- 

 port of this one has only to note that only occasionally do 

 mistletoe plants spring from the upper surface of a bough. As 

 a rule they start off from the side, or hang down from the under 

 surface thereof! And this because the fscal matter being semi- 

 fluid, it runs some little way across the bough until stopped 

 by some flake of bark. Here the seed is deposited ; occasion- 

 ally the fluid excreta may run on until it forms a drop beneath 

 the bough. 



The nutmeg again appears to be largely dependent on fruit 

 Pigeons to carry on the work distributing its seeds. The fruit 

 is yellow, in shape resembles a peach, but is firm and not edible. 

 When quite ripe it splits open and exposes the seed, which is 

 of a glossy black colour, partly concealed by a bright scarlet 

 laciniated sheath or "arillus," known commercially as "mace". 

 The fruit Pigeons greedily seek out these seeds and swallow them 

 entire for the sake of the mace. Later the nutmeg is said to 

 be expelled with the faeces, and thus wild nutmegs have been 

 spread over New Guinea and the surrounding islands. More 

 probably, however, the mace is removed while in the crop, 

 and the nutmeg is then thrown up, as other birds eject 

 pellets. 



Nutcrackers, Jays, Magpies, Rooks and Woodpeckers, which 

 keep stores of food in hiding-places — which they appear very 



