
A Chapter to Study. 
No attempt has been made in the following chapter to ac- 
quaint the student with every term that it is possible to use in 
describing the organs of a plant; but enough have been ex- 
plained and used throughout the book to give a comprehensive 
vocabulary of the subject and to lead one up to the enjoyment 
of an altogether scientific work on botany. 
- The existence of the plant and that of the animal are so 
closely linked together that it would be rather difficult to pro- 
phesy the fate of one were the other to withdraw itself from 
the earth. It isa pleasure to see that they seldom encroach 
upon each other’s mission in life ; but are generously helpful 
by the most amicable arrangements. 
The plants absorb from the atmosphere carbonic-acid gas, 
which, unless this were so, woula become abundant in the air 
and be injurious to animal life. They exhale oxygen, which is 
the animal’s necessary food. The opposite course is pursued 
by animals, They inhale oxygenand exhale carbonic-acid gas. 
In this way they return the plants’ compliment : by taking from 
them what they do not want and giving them as food what they 
do want. 
Again, plants are almost altogether dependent upon animal 
life to perform for them the service of cross-fertilization, page 
7. The birds, the butterflies and Master Bee and his family 
are all ceaselessly busy as their messengers, But there is 
nothing mean about the flowers. In return, they are quite 
aware of, and cater to, the tastes of all. Whena bird carries 
the seeds of a flower to some distant place and deposits them, it 
is only aslight remuneration for the delicious luncheon of red 
