62 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



their botanical hobbies. It is said that the botanist, Asa Gray, 

 was inii)elled to desert medicine for botany by the examina- 

 tion of the common Httle spring beauty. Another botanist 

 of note once told me that the multidudes of hepaticas in our 

 spring woods induced him to take ^up the study. The bio- 

 graphies of botanists contain man\' such instances. The in- 

 clination toward flower-gathering is i)ossibly the survival of a 

 very ancient practice. Savage man, it is well known, wore 

 flowers long before he wore clothes; in fact, in the remoter 

 parts of our planet, the inhabitants are still in the flower-wear- 

 ing stage and even in civilized regions, though clothes may 

 appear to be of more importance, we continue to include flow- 

 ers as a sort of decoration. 



It is diflicult to imagine a more harmless and pleasent 

 pastime than flower-gathering. Bird study probably comes 

 next to it. init birds have to be carefully stalked through forest 

 and glade while the plants do not require even this exertion. 

 Rooted in the soil they await the coming of the collector, but 

 not to make the conciuest too easy, they have their times and 

 seasons for appearing at their l)est and must be found when 

 they are displaying their blossoms to make the occasion com- 

 plete. Like other coming events, however, the blooming per- 

 iod casts its shadow before and one may anticipate the climax 

 in swelling buds and lengthing flower-stalks. It is one of the 

 satisfactions of plant study that the various species have a 

 fair degree of permanency in the locality. It is as if they 

 held part of the landscape by right of ownership. If they are 

 to be found at all, they will be right' where they were last year 

 and others are quite likely to be found in similar localities else- 

 where. The collector rarely returns from his expeditions 

 empty-handed. Each trip is a real voyage of discovery and 

 the treasures secured are so many visible evidences of his 



