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lake, but they are hardly to be seen here ; the chan¬ 
nels disappear when no longer needed. They 
would be quite large if I stood higher, where ray 
roots could not easily find moisture ; for in them I 
could catch water from the skies and the atmos¬ 
phere, to supply my needs. From these little 
canals it would flow into similar ones on the twigs, 
and the very bark of our trunks is furrowed to carry 
the water to our roots. When the trees of the low¬ 
lands and river sides go to live on the mountains, 
they assume such shapes, or they would perish 
with thirst. The very reeds and rushes which, you 
see, are round as they stand by the lake, have con¬ 
cave sides when they travel to the hills. 
“ Do you see those little mushrooms that have 
started up since the morning ? They are made to 
catch the exhalations from the ground. ‘Not a 
