68 AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND 



to enumerate, they are too well known. Just now he 

 has Cypripedium, Spiccrianum, cardinale, Schroder- 

 ianum. For one of them I would give my head if I 

 could see, the plants, after it would be off my shoul- 

 ders. 1 hope f you will understand that this last phrase 



of mine is platonical / old as my head is I would 



not give it for an orchid, and besides, if I was willing 

 to make such a bargain, nobody would accept it ; one 

 Would rather have a large pumpkin, or .... anything 

 else. 



I have mentioned somewhere that our club had its 

 meetings once in a while, here and there ; that is, with 

 one exception, at Mr. Coming's suburban villa, or here 

 at our " rus in urbe," bicoque, or shanty, in English. 

 I say bicoque or shanty, paltry house, because I have 

 heard that Caesar (that heroic butcher), had said to his 

 satellites and company, that he preferred to be tiie first 

 in a shanty than the " second" in Rome. So do I ; I 

 prefer to be living in a shanty paid for, than in a pal- 

 ace mortgaged for more than its value ; or drink a cup 

 of tea or coffee, than the best champagne drunk before 

 paid, and often never paid at all. I don't remember 

 if when our, meetings met here at onr nest what 

 nest ? will you say, the nest where I kept my rara 

 avis, that flew from Astoria to Albany do you for- 

 get ? I do not know if our members found the recep- 



