84 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 
to go; so the tiny seeds have to wait, just as other 
children, for the ice to freeze over before they 
can skate. The mother plant has had to hold her 
arms, or branches, which bear the children, carefully 
above the snow until the ice has become right. Then 
along comes a bunch of hungry little birds who, 
in their efforts to get the seeds for food, scatter 
them upon the snow and ice. But not all of these 
seeds skate. Some prefer to play in the snow, 
digging a house in a big snowdrift and soon be- 
coming covered up, where they must sleep till the 
warm sunshine melts the snow and releases them. 
Some plants, like the common locust, make ice- 
boats by means of their long pods, which have 
fallen to the ground and burst open. There are 
always an equal number of seeds clinging to each 
side, gleefully begging to be taken for a sleigh 
ride across the icy fields; and they do not have long 
to wait. Along comes the kind wind, and away 
the pod-sleighs go, rattling over the snow and ice. 
Some of the seeds drop off on the hill top, others 
travel to the valley below; and still others cling to 
the boat, as though they were fearful of going out 
into the great world. But each of the locust’s seeds 
is well clothed and protected. They are very hard, 
and their parent tree has so coloured them that 
they are not easily seen by hungry birds. 
