222 Walks in New England 



lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco) ; vaccinium stam- 

 ineum (deerberry) ; chelone glabra (snake-head) ; 

 pycnanthemum lanceolatum (mountain mint) ; 

 nepeta cataria (catnip) ; polygonum sagittatum 

 (tear-thumb) ; brunella vulgaris (self-heal). 



This is undoubtedly an uncommon record, for 

 very rarely does the black frost hold off as it is 

 doing this fall in this region. Nevertheless, it by 

 no means represents the flowers that were to be 

 found in blossom that day, or may be found so 

 now, for no severe frost has occurred since, 

 the brilliant hoar frost at the beginning of last 

 week being quite harmless even to delicate forest 

 growths. On that walk there was no endeavour 

 made to search for plants in blossom. The ob 

 servers had been over neighbouring ground only a 

 week before, and knew that with a little divagation 

 they might have seen dandelions, butter-and-eggs, 

 mulleins, ladies tresses, and possibly fringed 

 gentian, the purple gerardias, arrowheads at the 

 edge of a marsh, and bluets the pretty houstonia. 

 Some of these have been found since by a mem 

 ber of the party. As to the rare mildness of the 

 season there are other facts that bear interesting 

 witness. The sweet fern is untouched by frost 

 all around this region. Not only the Christmas, 

 the marginal and the spinulose ferns are now green 

 and lusty, but are seen now and again a commun- 



