s and fruits of the basswood
are dry and still hanging on the tree, if a quantity of them are shaken
off into the water which overflows the banks of a stream, many of
these, as they reach the water, will assume a position as follows:
The nuts spread right and left and float; the free portion of the
bract extends into the water, while the portion adhering to the
peduncle rises obliquely out of the water and serves as a sail to
draw along the trailing fruit. After sailing for perhaps fifteen
minutes, the whole bract and stem go under water, the nuts floating
the whole as they continue to drift with the wind.

Noticeable among seeds in the flood wood are some of the milkweeds,
which every one would say at a glance were especially fitted for
sailing through the air, aided by their numerous long, silky hairs.
These hairs are no hindrance to moving by water. I discovered one
little thing in reference to the seed which makes me think the Designer
intended it should to some extent be carried by water. The flat seed
has a margin, or hem, which must be an aid to the wind in driving
it about; but this margin is thickened somewhat by a spongy material.

[Illustration: FIG. 23.--Seed of milkweed with a corky margin
enabling it to float; a seed with such margin removed sinks at once.]

With the margin it floats, without it the seed sinks in fresh water.
A few cranberries were found in the driftwood. These contain
considerable air in the middle, near where the seeds are placed, as
though the air was intended to support them on top of water.

[Illustration: FIG. 24.--Cranberry containing an air space which
helps it to float.]

These berries are colored and edible--qualities that attract the
birds. And here we find in several places the bulblets of a wild garlic,
_Allium Canadense_, which grows on the river bottom. These bulblets
are produced on top of the stem with the flowers, and float on the
water. The seeds of the white water lilies, and yellow ones also,
by special arrangement float about on the water with the current or
the wind. The coffee tree grows rather sparingly along some of the
streams, and on moist land as far north as Clinton County, Michigan.
The stout, hard pods are three to four inches long, one and one-quarter
to one and one-half inches wide, and one-half inch thick. The very
hard seeds are surrounded with sweet pulp, which most likely made
it an inducement for some of our native animals to devour them and
thu