FOREWORD a 
all forms of life. The plant, the animal, the bird, 
the fish, the human, since each is a member of a 
living species, and related through one nature, per- 
haps a single origin, must in the habits and actions 
of its living portray characteristics of similarity 
to every other species. It is for us to devote our- 
selves to the study of these other forms of life, 
in order to find out the truths which each may hold, 
the secret keys to the great mysteries of life. 
Tue Human SE or Puants is the unlocking 
of the doors which have barred us from the mys- 
teries of the plant kingdom. It is an entrance into 
the private life of plantkind. What secrets we 
may learn from the plant nature and habits and 
characteristics to help us in understanding the 
origin, purpose, and extent of life, can be found 
only by an intimate acquaintance with the inner 
life of the plants. 
Only through many years of close association 
can one hope faithfully to describe the life and 
character of a race of people. And only through 
close application, conscientious research, a patience 
that comes only from love, can one understand the 
nature and habits of plants. 
With Tue Human Siz or Puants, I am blaz- 
ing a trail. In many of the plant acts described, 
I am declaring heretofore unpublished truths, 
