SPOTTED ORCHIS. 19 



and decay, and the aspect of the earth is transformed 

 through the influence of steam and electricity, so that even 

 the men of a hundred years ago would be startled could 

 they re-appear on the scene of their former labours ; but in 

 the woods and wilds their ruffled spirits would find wel- 

 come repose in the familiar notes of the lark or the golden 

 bowls of the buttercups. Like the " Brook " of Tennyson, 

 amidst the coming and going of men these remain for ever, 

 stable in the midst of change, and inimitable in a world 

 that speaks much of its progress, and dwells upon its ever- 

 increasing development. The works of man, being at the 

 best imperfect, change and pass away, the old order giving 

 place to the new ; but the works of God need no after- 

 thought ; the altogether lovely needs no added grace; 

 perfection calls for no after-development. 



The spotted orchis is so called by botanists and her- 

 balists, and the name is merely a translation into the 

 vernacular of the scientific title. Other names for our 

 present plant are the hand orchis, and the somewhat 

 more unpleasantly-sounding title of dead man^s fingers. 

 A second book name for the plant is the palmate 

 orchis. These names have evidently some common under- 

 lying idea; and we find, on investigation of the plant 

 and its nomenclature, that they are derived from the 

 curious finger-like lobes into which the tubers are divided. 

 As to the more ancient and distinctly provincial names, 

 we may, perhaps advisedly, take refuge in the way that 

 one of the old herbals we consulted deals with the matter, 

 and say at once, " It hath gotten as many names almost 

 attributed to it as would about fill a sheet of paper/' and 

 there be content to leave the subject. 



The stem of the spotted orchis is ordinarily about a foot 



