76 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



necklaces. Along one edge of the grove dances a laughing 

 brook. The banks are fringed with beautiful ferns while great 

 trees lean over the water. There is one deep pool beside a 

 huge boulder where the ispeckled trout and water babies live. 

 On the edge of the brook grows the purple fringed orchis. 



Farther down in the woods, the brook rushes over some great 

 rocks, under which the larvae of the Dobson fly live. Fisher- 

 men call them hellgramites, and use them for bait when fishing 

 for bass. The hobgoblins arc ugly looking fellows, growing to 

 be three inches or more in length, with a row of legs and gills 

 on each side of the body. When fully grown they crawl into 

 the bank, and in about a month come forth a large winged in- 

 sect with a wing expanse of four or five inches. The males 

 liave fierce looking mandibles which strike fear to the hearts of 

 small fairies. 



On still pools in the brook are black water striders, looking 

 like long legged spiders. These skim about over the water, oc- 

 casionally jumping into the air to catch some small insect. 



Where the brook enters the meadow are many beautiful 

 fliowers. Here the fairies get their foot-wear from the early 

 pink ladies' slipper. A little later blooms the yellow moccasin 

 iiower, and the last of June, the great showy ladies' slipper. 



In the grasses grow the dainty orchids, called ladies' tresses, 

 which look like fairies' curling locks. Here, too, are the won- 

 derful pitcher plants. I have brought you some of the leaves so 

 that some of you teachers or scholars can take them to school 

 tomorrow to show to those who are not here tonight. 



Along the edge of the woods grow the early hepaticas from 

 which the fairies get their white fur hoods. Here, too, are 

 the may flowers, spring-beauties, trillium, ground-nuts, yellow 

 violets and Dutchmen's breeches. Though why the flower 

 "books should give such pretty flowers such ugly names, I can- 

 not understand. They might as well be called fairies' bloomers. 



The thick white flowers of the turtle head grow along the 

 brook and the leaves furnish food for the larvae of that rare 

 and beautiful Baltimore butterfly. Fairies are evidently fond 

 of kitties, for they have many pussy willows and alder catkins. 

 Occasionally one sees a dainty, light green, lacy winged insect, 

 called golden-eyes. These are very useful fairies, as their 

 larvae destroy plant lice. They fasten their tiny green eggs 



