THe Bo^s of Etcho^wog 37 



rare little Ram's-Head {Cypripediwn arietinmn), for 

 which I have so hopefully searched these woods in 

 vain. I had found thus far all the representative 

 species of the Moccasin-Flowers of this State, save the 

 rarer Ram's-Head. 



The name Ram's-Head arose from the resemblance 

 of this flower to that of a sheep's or ram's head, the 

 conical or pouched-shaped shoe serving in certain po- 

 sitions to remind the early Canadian children of the 

 noses of frisky lambs' heads, while the twistings of both 

 sepals and petals answered for the ram's horns. This 

 rare species was first collected in Canada near Montreal 

 before 1808. In that year it was transplanted to Eng- 

 lish gardens by Messrs. Chandler and Buckingham, 

 where they had opportunity to study it closely. For 

 some time it was known as Chandler's Cypripedium. 

 Finally, Mr. Robert Brown of England published a 

 description of North American Orchids in Aiton's 

 Catalogue of Pla^its, in 18 13, and he must have learned 

 what the children first named it in Canada and Ver- 

 mont, for he gave it the Eatin name, Cypripedium arie- 

 tinunty which it has ever since borne in the science. 

 Afietinum signifies shaped like a ram's head, and so 

 one readily observes how the common names of plants 

 suggest to the botanist the origin of the strange Eatin 

 names, which are in one sense but the explanations of 

 the common names. 



I told Eorenna the story of this stray lamb, and she 

 was as eager to find its trail as I was. The plant is 

 shy at best, the flowers being of the most inconspicuous 



