IX 
PLANTS THAT RIDE ON ANIMALS 
HERE are many kinds of plants that seem 
to desire to go out into the great world and 
accomplish something but have no plumes nor 
wings, nor airships, such as the dandelion possesses, 
by which they may fly. Their children are not shot 
into the world, as are those of the oxalis; they have 
not the power of the squirting cucumber; they can 
not roll and tumble, like the Rose of Jericho; nor 
can they float to a safe destination, like the cocoa- 
nut; they cannot walk, as do many of the ferns and 
grasses; nor do they have the beauty to attract birds 
and animals, as do the cherries and plums; yet they 
grow tired of staying in one place and must, like 
other plants and animals, find a way whereby they 
may travel into the big world. Their seeds must 
be distributed in new soils and various places suit- 
able for their best development; and this they do 
by the simple method of taking a ride! And many 
and varied are their beasts of burden. 
Some stick to the feet and wings of birds and 
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