Pogonias and Limodoruins 85 



in search of Pogonias and I^imodorums, although the 

 season was almost too far advanced for prime speci- 

 mens. I had heard the day before that some blossoms 

 of these plants had been gathered in the Westville 

 Swamps, near New Haven, Connecticut. I thus felt 

 encouraged to search once more for these beautiful 

 orchids. With luncheon and vasculum, and Major 

 following me, I journeyed over the meadows and hills 

 of Mount CEta to the north slope of the Domelet, 

 where I crossed the country road. Finally I de- 

 scended into a deep basin under the Dome, which rises 

 east of the Domelet. Northward nestled the neat 

 white and red farm buildings near Thompson's Pond, 

 and far beyond them all I saw the blue, blue hills of 

 Bennington County. 



Everywhere I searched for the Fringed Orchis, 

 which had so far eluded me in these swamps. The 

 meadow seemed interminable as I circled around to 

 the east of the pond. Bearing to the northward, I 

 noticed nothing new except the ravages of the recent 

 hailstorm. It had cut down flowers and corn-fields 

 alike. The very hills were washed down from the 

 mountain sides; great gutters and still flowing streams 

 were eroding the corn-fields, scattering the sandy soil 

 broadcast over the once green meadows. Even the 

 edges of the grasses were brown and sear, and the 

 Timothy-heads of the Cat's-tail Grass were stripped 

 prematurely of their seed. 



I followed Thompson's Brook, leading northerly from 

 the pond, in through several willow and alder swamps. 



