1884.] Botany. 1263 
) esi: = awns of these seeds or fruits twist about, leav- 
pill zy erable portion of the untwisted part of the awn at the 
a ait out at nearly right-angles to the rest of the awn. If 
_ wet, the awn untwists and becomes straight. The apex is sharp, 
bores forward. These seeds usually fall to the 
straws, stubble, and more or less rabbis Sy ade 
os the motion takes place in the grain. 
ly Eo, ol ago in repeating this experiment, I placed a box 
aN of small sticks or straws every inch or so over the 
ati is was to act as stubble, and by holding the awn, help 
eeds to penetrate the ground. The seeds worked wel!, some 
: ya (Stipa spartea) boring down two inches to the bottom of 
— ie ee eaa 
jee ae, Ce 
1 za eisa some in a box of earth without any straws OF 
koe eat was surprised to find that they all but one, in fifty or 
i Daes no trouble in penetrating the soil. The seeds of some 
E coubl penetrate the skins of sheep and dogs a 
i ésome. I have recently been studying t 
ea of grass with reference to this subject. 
er dry weather where some tall oat-grass (Arrhenatherum 
he grain of three 
ut, the land in places 
ee the last of July we had some days of wet 
> ot d the cracks in the soil to close up inst the seeds; the 
nd ring drops of rain scattered more or less earth into the holes 
a cracks over the seeds and they began to grow freely. : 
Toae quantities of seeds of Anthoxanthum puelli, a species 
Ot small sweet vernal, behaved just as well as thos 
‘ of Danthonia spicata were observed. 
but in this case large num- 
ak 
hills of ants were busy in their excavati 
ulls, usually not more than an inch hig 
ead IA Numerous seeds of Danthonia were a 
e young plants were coming ° he 
they had buried themselves or had been pane 
Ay ground for these seeds, : 
- A few weeks ago, some boxes Were half-filled with good garden 
