THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 309 



be different were there nought but Indiana, deer, and bears to admire 

 it ; still even now its glossy leaves and bright yellow blossoms are 

 refreshing and pleasing to the eye, although not to be compared with 

 its beauty in our own country, where it is protected and cared for. 

 Pushing along through this and the shrubs along the river-side, a 

 bright yellow flower something like a small hooped Daffodil caught 

 my eye, growing some distance ahead in a moist bend of the road 

 among the roots and under the shade of the Mahonia and Burr Oak, 

 " Can this be a daffodil ? " said I to myself; "I did not know that 

 there were any in North America." I drew near, and found that it 

 was not a daffodil, but a large, bright yellow. Dog's-tooth Violet, 

 with its petals curled back like those of a Tiger Lily. The first one 

 that I saw had only one head ; presently I saw another with two 

 flowers on the same stem ; then one with three, and on up to half-a- 

 dozen. I was immediately on my knees grubbing at them with my 

 knife; but it was no easy task. The longer stem seemed as if it 

 would never show its bulb. Perseverance, however, as usual met 

 with its reward ; several bulbs I lost by the stem breaking or be- 

 coming involved among the matted roots of the Mahonia or Burr 

 Oak, but I got a few, and resolved to return next morning, like 

 Oliver, to search for more. I had no botanical books with me, but 

 a Salt Lake friend fortunately possessed a copy of Dr. Sereno Watson's 

 recently published quarto on the " Botany of the Fortieth Parallel," 

 being part of Clarence King's report on that region, and having re- 

 course to it I made my tiouvaille out to be the Erythronium grandi- 

 florum of Hooker (fig. 173). Next day I was back to the same 

 locality, and found one or two additional habitats, all on the City 

 Creek glen or caiion. While I was busily occupied in obtaining a 

 few more bulbs I was aware of some one approaching, and looking vip 

 I saw a young man carrying a gun, looking on benignantly at my 

 operations. " A botanist ? " says he. Instinctively I felt that he, 

 too, had been touched by Ithuriel's spear, and on inquiry more scotico 

 I found that it was so. He knew a little of botany and was able to 

 give me the names of a good many of the surrounding commoner 

 American plants, which were new to me. I enquired if he knew thia 

 Erythronium, and said I supposed it to be grandiflorum. " No,'" 

 said he, " that is not the grandiflorum ; it is white and larger. I can 

 show you where it grows, higher up ; " and he did accompany me in 

 search of it but missed it. What he spoke of is the white variety, 

 described as albiflorum, and he also mentioned a pink one ; these are 

 certainly to be found in the neighbourhood, although I missed them. 



Passing, however, from the getting of the plant to the plant 

 itself as it has now been introduced into this country — and will, I 

 doubt not, be hereafter sent over in still greater abundance — the 

 reader may, perhaps, like to be reminded of what vre know about 

 Erythroniums in general and more particularly of the species in 

 question. 



Everyone knows our common Dog's-tooth Violet, Erythronium 

 dens-canis. It is that species that Las supplied the derivative of th 

 generic name, epv6pvs (red) a name by no means applicable to the 

 majority of the species, seeing that most of them are yellow or white. 



October. 



