12 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



place ; that only weeds grow there. I knezv Our Hill was so — 

 before I saw the polygala. Maybe you, too, are mistaken ; go 

 and see. Go again ; and again and yet again. Before long you 

 will find something worth having. Why, only this month 

 (Nov.) I found two new plants one of which was an orchid, 

 or rather the dried remains of one. It was a common one, to 

 be sure. A coral boot, C. odontorhiza I think, although I was 

 unable to determine exactly, since I had only the dried stalk 

 and seed pods to examine. Yet what a discovery! The first 

 Orchid on Our Hill! 



So persevere and you will find treasure after treasure. 

 Perhaps not just those I have mentioned but something pre- 

 cious and probably more beautiful. And remember this : al- 

 though you may find only a few plants of a kind, let that en- 

 courage, not discourage you. For if there are only a few of a 

 kind, think how many more kinds there is room for. 



Wellshoro, Pa. 



SOME MIDWINTER MOSSES. 



By H. S. Hammond. 



ON January 26th, the writer in company with some friends, 

 took a short tramp out to Brownfield's Woods which 

 are situated about 3^ miles northeast of the Urbana Court 

 House, Champaign Co., 111. These woods are practically vir- 

 gin timber, cover about fifty acres of rolling ground ; the soil 

 being deep rich leaf mold, excepting for some sandy soil along 

 the banks of the Salt Fork of the Vermillion river which 

 drains this area. 



The principal trees in the this area are maples, oaks, elms, 

 hickories, honey locusts, basswood and horsechestnuts. Scat- 

 tered about on the forest floor are many dead and rotten logs 

 many of the latter partially covered by the soil. The principal 

 shrub is spice-bush {Benzoin aestivale). 



Under such condition one would ordinarily expect to 



