THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 43 



as to remove the offspring from the too enervating influ- 

 ences of home. The violent hand of the parent is exerted 

 in kindness. To be less metaphorical, it is desired and 

 provided that the j^oiing plants when they at last emerge 

 ma\^ have a fresh chance for soil, moisture, light and air. 

 They must not be over-shadowed by home influences. As 

 w^e see the young seed, as it w'cre on tip-toe for flight, we 

 can at most conjecture a certain feeling of reluctance to 

 detach itself from the home circle. What fate is in store 

 for it ? As the Spaniard would say — Quien sabe? 

 Brown University, Providence, R. I. 



A VACATION NEAR THE COAST. 



BY FRANK DOBBIN. 



TRAVEL is especially interesting to the botanical 

 student. A journey of a hundred miles or even less is 

 sufficient to bring him into localities where he is likely to 

 land many species new to him ; at the same time missing 

 some of those common about his own home. While 

 spending a few" weeks in south-eastern Massachusetts dur- 

 ing the past summer I was much interested in observing 

 the plants new to me. M3^ botanical note-book shows an 

 addition of more than 50 nev\r names. 



East of the Connecticut River, while on the cars, I had 

 noticed a bushy plant with bright yellow flowers, which, 

 when I had opportunity to collect proved to be the wild 

 indigo {Baptisia tinctoria). On my first ramble afield I 

 was much pleased to find the chain fern ( Woodwardia 

 Virginica) a fern I had searched for in vain near my own 

 home. A few days later I found in the same locality the 

 Massachusetts fern {Dryopteris simulata) which bears 

 considerable resemblance to the common marsh shield fern 

 {D. Thelypteris) . A close examination of the veins however 

 reveals the fact that they do not fork as in the other. 

 The beautiful Turk's-cap lily (Lilium superhutn) I found 

 in abundance, in low moist places and clambering over 

 the bushes in nearly all situations was the greenbriar 

 (SmiJax rotundifolia). In waste places particularly in 



