114 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 
wings, soon fall to the ground, where they unfor- 
tunately are too crowded to grow, and die from 
lack of sunshine; others steer their airships out over 
the big ocean where they swim for a while and finally 
sink in the water and are eaten by fish; those who 
have grown too attractive from undue care are soon 
eaten by birds, who are extremely fond of seed- 
babies; while many others of these youthful adven- 
turers, who manage to light in apparently suitable 
places, are eaten by insects; and so only a few are 
fortunate enough, notwithstanding all the care the 
parent plants bestowed upon them, to get such a 
start in life as to become successful and reach their 
highest point of development. 
Those few who are lucky in finding comfortable 
homes in the autumn, secure from birds and insects, 
soon fall into a long slumber, while the leaves blow 
over them, and the snow buries them under, af- 
fording a warm, snug bed where they sleep all 
winter. When the hot sunshine melts the snow in 
the spring, the tiny seeds burst their brown coats or 
shawls, in which their fond mothers wrapped them 
before they ventured out into the world, and each 
sends down a delicate reotlet to drink in moisture. 
It also sends up leaves to drink of the glorious 
air and sunshine. Soon it grows so strong and 
happy that more leaves are sent up, and finally 
