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vapor in the universe is lost,’* little girl. Look at 
their tiles of leaves lying so thickly together, and 
filled with moisture. Their umbrella-shaped canopy 
shades the earth beneath them from the sun, and 
they catch every vapor as it rises. Some of them 
are lined with pipes and sponges which catch and 
retain the dews. 
“ On the top of that high rock, you will find cup¬ 
shaped leaves. The plants of the tropics are more 
striking still. The traveller in those hot and sunny 
regions finds many a goblet of cool water in the 
reservoirs of the plants. In the season when no 
rain falls, they extract it from the atmosphere by 
the attraction of their sharp pointed leaves. 
“ Now observe the little Heart-wort that grows 
in that marshy dell. It holds water in its two shell¬ 
shaped leaflets, but that is not for its own draught. 
* Bernardin St. Pierre. 
