7
aid JLy
ivorco
DO
Remarkable Characteristics of Trees,
Vines and Flowers, as Revealed by
the Latest Studies of an Expert
BT ROYAL DIXON.
Author of "The Human Side of Plants."
rERHAPS It would be difficult to
rfind In the whole range of plant
creation anything more curious
and human-like than the love, mar
riage and divorce among plants. Here,
as In the human world, "love," or to
be more accurate, "amorousness." un
derlies every act of the plant kingdom.
It Is the most powerful factor for the
perpetuation of all plant life. In the
great tropical forests of Africa and
South America this mate-hunger is far
more ravenous than even food-hunger.
Divorce among the uncanny tree mon
sters Is practically unknown, but court
ship sometimes lasts for SO years, and
so the female has plenty of time to
make up her mind. However, the whole
affair Is often a matter of convenience.
Should the marriage prove unsatisfac
tory, she often poisons her mate and
then herself, and they die in each oth
er's arms.
If the human race Is ever to get over
Its habit of making a muddle of lov
ing, it must begin to study more care
fully the ways of plant lovers. They
also are still groping In the dark on
these vital points, but they do not deny
the power of the passions as some of
the human race have done, nor do they
try to analyze It back through Its nth
power. Women are anxious to know
all about the psychology of love, and
men haven't the retrospection even to
try to trace its path.
Our most difficult problems love,
marriage and divorce are also the
problems of the plant world. In the
great tropical forests a continuous bat
tle is waged both above and below the
earth, as well as in the sky and sea.
These battles are not only for the pos
session of territory, but for the posses
sion of proper mates.
Methods ef Love-MakJng.
The methods of love-making of the
plant world may seem more brutal than
that of our cave-dwelling forefathers,
but there, as In the human world, love
knows no law. A vampire vine, the
Devil's Snare, so gigantic in size that
It is supposed to be able to capture
wild dogs, and suck the blood from
their bodies, Just as an Insect-eating
plant snaps up a fly and sucks the blood
from the dead fly's body. will, during
the mating season, continually ' send
out his huge, white, electrically-charged
limbs, and clasp his lover to "his arms.
If Bhe refuses and Is too weak to de
fend herself, he deliberately kills her
in his terrible arms. If she Is able to
free herself. It must be at the sacrifice
of many of her limbs, and she must
turn entirely away and grow in dif
ferent direction.
If she is a flirt, her destruction is
certain. . Her monster lover Is very
clever and in the early Spring great
tear drops of honey continually flow
from his amorous eyes. If the object
of his adoration ever trusts him to
come near, or allows him to take Just
one kiss, it is all off. and she Is his
wife and slave forever afterward. Some
times it happens that she marries him
in preference to death and watches for
an opportune time to kill him.
Death by strangulation is her only
chance to rid herself of this undesir
able mate. If she is very wise she will
wrap her arms so tightly around his
body that he must eventually die and
then she stands a widow forever cursed
by having to hold up to the world the
dead corpse of her murdered husband.
If she chooses to marry again, she
must still embrace her dead husband,
unless he has crumbled away. But that
Is not likely, for these trees do not re
main long in widowhood. It is not un
common to see certain female trees hold
ing in their manifold arms the corpses
of several dead husbands. But Judge
them not . harshly, for they may have
been forced to marry some of these un
desirables. . .
Strange rumors have been circulated
of the existence of huge, monster-like
fig vines and sometimes trees which
have the most elaborate courtships, kid
naplngs, marriages and ofttlmes di
vorces. These are usually found In' the
remote and unvlslted parts of the great
troplics. Science has recently discov
ered, however, that there Is a good
foundation for these extraordinary fic
tions. In the valley of the Amazon the
married life of these monsters is most
unusual and divorce is unknown. There
Is little danger of infidelity in either
case. And the bridal kiss lasts for
ver! Who knows but what Adam and
Eve really learned to spoon from the
trees! Surely there could be no better
precedent than a family tree.
Human-Like Traits.
Thia strange, human-like plant may
be taken' as an example of the model
lover. No plant-woman could resist
his manly charms. If he foolishly de
sires to remain a bachelor, like some
silly men, he grows up as a long,
spider-like vine, with feminine-looking
tendrils in the place of arms. Like a
beanstalk, he climbs and climbs up and
over tall trees. Sometimes late in life
he sees the error of his ways and takes
unto himself a bride, but then it is
to late, for she soon tires of him and
kills him. In the plant world this Is
all right, for the more times she has
been married, the more charms she Is
supposed to possess. Each time she
squeezes a husband to death, there Is
more space for her and her new hus
band to spoon, and lean on the corpses
of her former lovers.
His courting is what wins her heart.
The gallant lover adorns himself in his
gayest colors for winning a bride. If
his love responds to his ardent wooing,
they embrace for life and grow up as
a single tree. But should she refuse
him alas! He becomes a climbing
vine of the most voracious kind, twist
ing, climbing, strangling and murder
ing everything that comes within his
reach. Thus In the plant world as
well as among human beings, love has
its effect. The soured, disappointed
lover of the plant world Is Just as much
a menace to his tribe as is the disap
pointed and sour man.
Cuaalna Courtships.
Perhaps the most cunning and weird
of all plant courtships la that of cer
tain orchids. For many generations
they have had to wag warfare by In
genious methods. They - have no
prickles, thorns. swords or daggers
against birds and animals that would
mm
WW
CURIOUS DUAWIXG BV V. O. LEARXED, MADE I'XDGR THE DIIIECTION OP MR. DIXON. SUGGESTING MOW TUB VANl'IKK VINE. CALLED TUB
DEVIL'S SNAKE, SEIZES UPON A TREU AND HOW THK TWO BECOME LOCKED IN EACH OTHER'S AllMS.
eat them. Nor have they any weapons
to use In the protection of their loves,
except cunning. And so the tricks to
which they resort to Imitate bees, but
terflies, snakes, and even bats. are
most unusual.
Orchids are the most skilled of all
plants In the art of simulation. They
choose for Imitation some Insect, bird
or animal free from danger. Some,
orchids Imitate poisonous spiders. The
fly orchid and the bee orchid are ex
amples which Imitate so skillfully that
trained scientists are often at fault
In detecting the deception. These or
chids resemble clusters of bees or
flies resting on a dry twig.
Many of the larger species of orchids
imitate huge bats. This Imitation aids
the orchid In Its courtship. The poor.
deluded bat alights on a sprig of these
flowers, thinking he Is approaching
other bats, but. instead, he Is only de
ceived by this weird flower that It ma
use him as a messenger of love to
other orchids. The bat's head is cov
ered with pollen, and when he goes to
another similar flower, he carries the
precious yellow dust with him. so the
bat orchids are fertilise In this strange
way.
But love' knows no law. and in the
plant world these cunning ways of
theirs Is only a tribute to the necessi
ties of married life In a world where
the story of all life la a story of con
tinual contention and strife. The
struggle In the plant underworld Is
most terrible and almost unthinkable.
And the results mean much to the hu
man world, for. after all. we are de
pendent upon the plants for everything
we have, even to the air we breathe.
In case a certain tree, like our own
catalpa. grows tired of mating with
its own species, and Is fertilised by
means of the pollen from some other
tree, the result Is a hybrid, which, in
most cases, will not reproduce its kind.
As a result, we soon find certain val
uable trees becoming extinct. Just as
the birth rate In certain countries Ls
decreasing. .
Always Practleal.'
The plant world and the human
world have practically the same forms
of love, courtship, marriage and di
vorce, except In many- cases the plant
world Is more practical about these
things. It more readily seems to look
forward to the future generations of
its kind, -and it gives its offspring a
better start In life. For this reason It
might be well for all lovers carefully
to study plants.
In the plant world there la not only
a school of mothercraft. but there Is
also a school of fathercraft. The fe
male plant demands that her wooer
be strong, beautiful, chaste and true.
These are the great evidences of the
sagacity of plants. To enter into the
realm of their dally affairs of family
life la to become a modern Columbus,
landing on the shores of a new and
wonderful world. To explore them ls
to come to a fuller and surer realisa
tion of the unity of all forms of life, a
firmer conviction that all life is related
through a universal Nature.
THE SCARLET RUNNER
(Continued From Psgro 8.
STRASGE TROPICAL ORCHIDS WHICH SO INGENIOUSLY IMITATE BATS OF THE FOREST THAT EV
SKILLED SCIENTISTS FREQUENTLY ARE DECEIVED.
EN
that, for a second, turned him giddy.
Had nothing gone wrong? What If this
were not a Joke, but deadly earnest?
What If these laughing women should
never see their Jewels again? By this
time the contents of those leather
pouches might be worth two hundred
thousand pounds. If, under his charm
ing airs of bonhomie Fitzgerald were
a rogue well, the game would be well
worth the candle for a man in finan
cial troubles of any sort. And that poor,
happy child, the hostess what a hu
miliation for her if at her house, led
on by her example, all these people
lost their dearest treasures! She would
never be forgiven could never live
down such a calamity. She might even
lose her lover through it.
"In case anything should go wrong!"
If Miss Dauvray had meant this
meant him to guess, meant to give him
something by which, if his wits were
quick and his courage high, he could
stop the game!
Suddenly his head was clear as a
bell. If he did the thing which had
sprung into his brain he would not
spoil Fitzgerald's chance of the prize,
in case the play were a genuine frolio
after all. . Bnt if It were earnest he
might save the situation for Miss Van
Bouten save the Jewels and. unlesa
Fitzgerald were a fool, no one need
ever know the truth.
He decided to act. and the moment
had coma
Fitzgerald had finished. He and his
assistant were beginning their dash
towards the glass doors. But instead
of unlocking It. as Christopher had
been told to do, he tried it quickly,
found it fastened, and slipped the key
into his pocket. Then, with his back
to the gold curtains he fired one bar
rel of Elolse Dauvraya revolver at the
celling.
This was to let Fitzgerald know that
be was formidable; that he carried no
harmless toy at his belt, and the effect
was "overpowering. All the women
screamed (he hated frightening them,
but it was for their own good), and
even Fitzgerald and his followers were
taken aback for an instant.
It was but for an Instant though.
They sprang forward; but Christopher
stopped them with his leveled revolver
before they could touch the triggers
of theirs.
"Hands up, or I (Ire! be shouted.
Tber weapons had death in them, too
he was sure of that but his could
speak first, and if it spoke there would
be an end of one man. The danger was
that he could not be sure of covering
two at a time, and the third was not
far off now; but that was the risk
he had been ready to run. and on the
Instant be was called upon to faoe it.
From behind Fitzgerald the other man
would have taken the chance and fired,
but someone knocked up his arm (no
one but Christopher aaw that it was a
veiled abbess), and Lord Arrowdale. as
Louis XIV, alert and grave enough,
now, took advantage of the fellow's
brief confusion to setae the revolver
from behind.
With that Fttsgenald burst Into a
loud laugh and tucked his weapon in
his belt. (Was it because he knew the
game was up, and the only hope lay la
saving appearances, or was he merely
ready to end his harmless Jlay for the
prise?) "Don't be frightened, anybody,
and spoil sport." he Cried, his voioe
breaking with laughter. Then, snatch
ing off his mask and looking handsome
and gallant in his slouch hat. he ran
and knelt at Undine's feet, calling his
comrades to follow.
"Our leather pouches, and an that is
in them is," he exclaimed, "in exchange
for the prize, fair lady."
And Miss van Bouten took off her
mask also, smiling and beautiful,
though a little pale.
"Shall be have the prize my friends?"
she cried aloud.
And the oompany, unmasking, an
swered with many voices that the prize
must belong to the highwayman.
"It's to be put to the vote, you know,
at supper." she said.
Fitzgerald and his friends, having
given up their bags of spoil to their
hostess, rose from their knees.
Then Fitzgerald came to where Race
still stood by the door. Everyone was
listening, but all he had to say waa ttf
thank Christopher for his "dramatic
conception of his part-
"Your one slight mistake." he fin
ished, "has proved a blessing In dis
guise, for it enables me also to change
my mind at the last minute. I and
my friends will stay to supper and hear
our fate In the matter of the blue
d'aroond. You are free to do as you
choose."
I must be getting back to town."
"With your oar? Very well; we will
meet later."
Fitzgerald waa the hero of the oo
caalon; and one of the young men of
Miss Dauvrays party presently slipped
away unnoticed. Perhaps two others
did the same Christopher did not
know. But when he reached Scarlet
Runner, to his intense surprise there
sat Miss Dauvray in the seat next to
the driver's.
"Will you take me home?" she asked.
"With pleasure." he said.
"And quickly?"
"If you wish."
They started, and for a few moments
neither spoke. Then Christopher asked,
"Did I do the thing you wanted?"
"Yea." she said. "I thought you would
do lt"
"Too hypnotized me. perhaps. But
waa It a game, or"
"Oh. a game, if you Hka But a ter
rible game. I would have given my
life to stop it. or youra You've saved
both. Z can live now, I think. It he
wins the prise he'll let me alone for
awhile. But if he'd succeeded tonight
I couldn't have borne it. What would
there have been for me? Only to dis
appear as he meant to do. or disap
pear in another way. a quieter way. I
should have chosen that. I'm so very
tired, you see."
"Tired of what?" Christopher ques
tioned her almost fiercely.
"Of playing cat's-paw for him. Tm
a coward. I'm horribly afraid of him.
He could ruin me. I've helped him sev
eral times In country houses, where
Tve boen staying. It's nearly killed
ma. but I had to do it. This would
have been worst of all, though. I love
little Millie van Bouten. I bear her no
grudge for taking Arrowdale from me.
because I didn't love him. It waa only
his money and title I wanted needed,
if you like. Fits thought I'd be glad
of revenge, but Tm not vindictive, X
helped only because I was forced to,"
"Why?"
"Oh, it all began with the most
awful losses at bridge, and a hundred
outside debts to drive me half mad.
Once I was mad then, I think I
cheated. Fits saw. and saved me, for -this
kind of thing. He's in awful
straits, too. But the blue diamond will
save him, if he gets It. For your sake
I hope he will. s well as for mine. He
doesn't forget easily."
"How did he mean to rid himself of
me tonight?" asked Christopher quietly
"You can guess. I think. Of course,
the story of the pastrycook and the
pie, and giving back the Jewels, was a
fiction for your benefit. But you would
have been asked to stop your car at a
certain place. I believe, as if to meet
the 'pastrycook,' and then then they
wouldn't have killed you. for Fits waa
going to disappear and you couldn't
have identified the other man. But you
would have had a knock on the head,
and Fits would have driven your car
where he liked. He can drive one or
two makes of cars, and he's been tak
ing lessons with your kind for the last
three days. But now don't ask me any
more questions, wll you? I'm so tired,
If you are kind, let me rest."
Christopher . obeyed and sat silent,
driving fast. Neither spoke again un
til he had brought her to her own door
in Regent's Park.
Then, as he stopped Scarlet Runner
he broke out:
"All this time I've been thinking oS
what you've said. I
She burst into merry, if nervous
laughter. "What I've said? Surely you
don't take all that wild nonsense seri
ously. Of course I was Joking. It waa '
a fairy-story from beginning to end,
believe ma"
"I can't." said Christopher.
"Then you are the April fool after
all. aren't you? But thank you. never
theless, a thousand times, for bringing
me home. And take care Fits won't
be too pleased with you for changing
the end of his game."
Stunned. Christopher let her slip .
away from him. Had it been a Joke,
then, the whole thing? He would
never quite know, it might be. But
he had a very strong theory: and that
theory did not prevent him from wl&h
lng to see Elolse Dauvray again.
(A New. Adventure Next Week)