scattered," continued Miss Vaughan; "the wind is one means, but birds and animals sometimes help." "Birds and animals sow seed," repeated Dora. "Yes, indeed; a great number are swallowed by birds, but not destroyed; they merely carry them away to distant places where they sow themselves. You know that the fruit or covering which contains the seed of any plant is called the seed-vessel: well, these seed-vessels are sometimes (especially in the forests of Africa) covered with spines, sharp, strong prickles, which falling on the backs of the wild animals as they range through the forest, stick to their shaggy hides, and are thus transported miles distant, until the animal in passing through the thick underwood, at length brushes them off again.. And some seeds have actual wings and fly! I have in my possession two very valuable winged seeds, given me by a person who brought them from India, and who ranked them among the most precious things in his very rare collection of botanical curiosities. He told me, that these seeds often flew to a distance of three miles from their birth-place." Mary opened her eyes very wide at this announcement: flying seeds! that was indeed a new idea; she inquired if Miss Vaughan would be so kind as to shew them these seeds on their return home. "I will with pleasure, my love; but we need not go to India in search of flying seeds: look at that Dandelion puff which Fanny is blowing away so lustily; those downy feathers were fastened to the little seed on purpose that the wind might carry it away. You see that even the weeds are cared for by the Almighty, and preserved for their appointed use." Mary took the puff from her sister's hand, and examined it attentively: but she said at length: "I never thought about weeds being of any use; of what use can they possibly be?" "When you know more about the nature and properties of plants, my dear, you will discover that all are either useful or beautiful, if not both. Many weeds are used as medicines; some that are even poisonous, such as the deadly Night-shade; from which is obtained the medicine called Belladonna, and Fox-glove, which is Digitalis. Others which are not consumed by man, form the food of animals, -birds and insects. I know what you are going to say, Mary; you think that certain disagreeable insects, such as snails, slugs, toads, frogs, caterpillars and spiders are of no use to man, and that it would be better if they had nothing to feed upon. But you know, dear child, that God created them all in the beginning, and chooses that they should exist: therefore He provides for them; He takes care that they shall not become too numerous by causing them to prey upon each other; but He will not allow them all to perish. Such noxious things are a part of the curse which fell upon this fair world when sin entered it: blighted and faded it is now, bearing thorns and briars; yet still beautiful, still glorious; still eloquently telling of the love of the Father to the children who have wandered from Him, and pointing out to them the purest pleasures that they are capable of enjoying in their fallen state-the contemplation of His glorious works!” The girls walked on in silence; they had known nothing hitherto of such pleasures: but they saw the glow that passed over the usually pale features of their friend, as she spoke the last words; and they began to think (Dora especially) that they should like to enjoy them with her if they knew how. They had nearly reached the house, when Mary and Fanny suddenly remembered the promised exhibition of the flying seeds; and away they bounded through the open door, and across the hall, nearly knocking down the old butler, who gazed after them in speechless amazement, as they scampered up stairs to the door of Miss Vaughan's apartment, where they stood breathlessly awaiting her arrival. She soon appeared with Dora, and smiling at their eagerness, immediately unlocked the box, in the recesses of which the two precious little seeds were carefully deposited. Very beautiful indeed they were, resembling the most delicate of all butterflies; the seed in the centre forming the body, and white gauze-like wings extending from it, of the finest net-work. First desiring the children not to pick them up, as it was hardly possible to touch without injuring them, Miss Vaughan mounted on a chair and let them fly. A cry of delight escaped the lips of all three as the winged seeds fluttered about the room, and after two or three minutes fell gradually to the floor. Warmly thanking Miss Vaughan, they ran away to their mamma to relate what they had seen, and to tell her that they had never enjoyed a walk so much in all their lives. CHAPTER V. The rolling year Is full of Thee. Forth in the pleasing spring THOMSON. "Now, Miss Vaughan," began the little girls as they set off on the following morning," do tell us all the astonishing things that there are to be told about seeds and flowers. Are there any other seeds as curious as those you showed us yesterday?" "To tell you all about seeds and flowers, my dears, would indeed be a difficult task, I may say an impossible one; you never heard, I dare say, that Gärtner wrote 300 volumes upon seeds and seed-vessels only, and then said that he considered he had left the subject unfinished." "Three hundred volumes! then it must take more than a whole lifetime to become a botanist," remarked Dora. "Yes, indeed; each branch of the science of botany thoroughly considered might occupy a life time; but only a very few individuals have the means, the leisure, or the talent requisite to devote a life-time to such a work: nor is it desirable that many should. We, at least, have various duties to perform, and only a small portion of every day permitted us to employ in this fascinating study. But I assure you that a very sufficient acquaintance with botany might be made even in this time, sufficient I mean to afford you a great deal of rational pleasure." "But is not botany very difficult; are there not a great many long Latin or Greek names to remember?" asked Dora. "There is certainly a great deal to remember, and some pains must be taken, as in every kind of knowledge that we set about acquiring; but the pains in this instance are not very painful, and are immediately converted into pleasure, when once we have acquired a taste for nature; this is what I want to give you: but I am not going to press the study of botany upon you; you shall not learn it at all unless you wish it, and for the present we will go on talking about whatever comes under our notice." 66 Now, I wonder whether either of you can tell me what becomes of the seed when it is thrown into the ground?" "No, do tell us all about it?" said Fanny, who had been patiently waiting to hear something that she could understand, and was just going to run away in despair. "How does the great Oak-tree come out of the little tiny acorn?" "No one can quite understand that, my love, for it is one of God's most wonderful works: the seed of a tree is like the egg of an animal; and we can no more understand how the earth acts upon it in bringing the tree out of it, than we can understand how the hen sitting upon her egg makes it become a chicken." |