In many cases the commonly recognized fruit includes more than the ovary. For example, in the apple and pear the modified ovary is represented by what is called the "core," and the pulpy part outside, forming the edible part of the fruit, is the thickened calyx. In the strawberry the real fruits are the small, nut-like "pits" which are more or less imbedded in the surface, while the pulpy part is the very much enlarged and fleshy tip of the stem which bore the numerous carpels. In the pineapple the change involves a whole flower cluster, and a pineapple is a cluster of flowers which has formed a pulpy mass, flowers, leaves, stems, and all.
From what has been said it will be noticed that some fruits ripen dry, as in the case of the lily pod, bean pod, etc., and that others ripen fleshy, as in the case of apples, strawberries, etc. It must not be supposed that flesh can only be formed by parts outside of the ovary, for the peach is a modified ovary, whose wall has separated into two layers, the outer of which forms the pulp, and the inner the "stone," the kernel within the stone being the real seed.
Whatever form or structure the fruit may take, everything is with reference to the dispersal of the seeds, which must be carried to places suitable for their germination. How seeds are carried about is a long story, which must be deferred to some later time, but it belongs to the general subject of flowers.
It will be seen from the above brief account that flowers occur in almost infinite variety, so that we are able to tell the various groups of flowering plants by the kind of flowers they produce. Amidst all of this infinite variety, however, there are but two purposes shown, the variety being merely the different ways in which different plants have carried them out. These two purposes are the securing of pollination, in order that seeds may be formed, and the proper distribution of the seeds. All structures found in flowers should be made to answer these two problems.
How beauteous every shade On Spring's awakened trees! How perfect the colors laid By His most kind decrees!
What do we mean by a "natural right?" Are there rights of any other sort in the world? Yes, a legal right may not always be a natural right. On the contrary, a legal right is sometimes a natural wrong. In many states it has, at one time or another, been legally right to slaughter the hawks and owls, which are far more useful than harmful. The birds had a clear title to the natural right of life, which the laws denied until the lawmakers discovered their mistake. Long ago our forefathers declared that all men possess the natural right to "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Certainly no one will deny that any creature has a right to life so long as in its life it contributes more toward the welfare of the world than in its death. It also has a right to liberty so long as it can do more good at liberty than as a captive. Granting that the lower animals are capable of happiness, no one would think of denying them the right of the pursuit of their happiness except for some higher good. Without discussing these general principles further let us see how they will apply to the birds as natural rights.