WATER TRANSPORTATION OF PLANTS. 
23 
time they need for the slow decay of their armor. Sooner 
or later a tiny plant is likely to appear and produce a 
beautiful bush. Engineers are boast- 
ing of their steel ships as safe and not 
likely to sink, because there are several 
compartments each in itself water-tight. 
In case of accident to one or two 
chambers, the one or two remaining 
tight will still float the whole and save 
the passengers. 
I wonder if the engineers have not 
been studying the fruit of the bladder 
nut ? But this is not all. Many of the 
dry nuts hang on all winter, or for a 
part of it, rattling in the wind, as 
though loath to leave. Some of them 
are torn loose, and in winter there will 
be a better chance than at any other 
time for the wind to do the seeds a 
favor, especially when there is snow 
on the ground, for then they will 
bound along before the breeze till 
something interrupts them. 
Here among the rubbish are some 
shriveled wild grapes also. As we 
shall see elsewhere, their best scheme 
is to be eaten by certain birds, which do not digest their 
bony seeds; but in case some of them are left there is 
Fig. 16. — Shriveled wild grapes 
overlooked by birds, now 
ready to float on water, and 
a clean seed not able to 
float. 
Fig. 15. — Frnit of bladder 
nnt with three tight cells. 
