Moccasin-Flowers 145 



their great round leaves over on the water's surface, 

 and displaying their crimson linings. 



I now devoted myself to solving the great problem 

 of snaring the Lady's-Thumbs of this deep-water 

 species of Polygonum. They were just beyond my 

 reach, and I was obliged to drag up an old weather- 

 worn, decaying pine, and float it out to walk upon. 

 With a staff in one hand and a willowy snare in 

 the other, I ventured out upon the bridge as far as I 

 dared to go. I managed after many a slip to snare off 

 the blossoms and float them in to shore. On June 26th 

 I was able to secure some of the flowers of Polygonum 

 growing in the centre of Thompson's Pond, and found 

 the two plants identical. 



There are seventy-one species of this genus in North 

 America, and about two hundred reported for the 

 world. The above species, found in our lakes and 

 ponds, is not rare, yet it is seldom observed in clear 

 water. It was for me a new discovery for this region. 



I was pretty well soaked after wading around these 

 muddy shores, and not a little tired with the planning 

 and building of bridges. I rested, therefore, on the 

 hillside among the ferns, watching the daring devil' s- 

 darning-needles — dragon-flies — come and go about 

 my head. The name of darning-needle is still full of 

 alarm to me, but the dragon-fly is harmless both in 

 name and nature. Bees were busy humming at their 

 duty, frogs were croaking the hours away, and the 

 wind was still flapping the ancient pads of Nymphaea, 

 while low, sweet tones through the forest crept. I could 



