13 



Pogonia. 



the fringe of bushes at the land's edge, the -vvoolly-leaved Labrador tea 

 ( Ledum latifoh'um ) , a rare and radiant shrub found in few towns in the 

 count}^ and the bell blossoms of the low-bush blueberry ( Varcinimn 



vaiil/a)is) . Here, beside 

 the brilliant blossoms of the 

 rhodora ( Rhododendron rho- 

 dora ) that lighten the bleak 

 bareness of the bushes just 

 budding into leaf, in the 

 midtlle of the swamp, just 

 above the water we find, 

 also, an earlier and exceed- 

 ingly graceful sister of the 

 mountain laurel, the deli- 

 cate, fragile pale laurel 

 ( Kahnia olanca ) . The 

 treacherous moss sinks deep 

 into the water as we cross 

 it, and the air-holes catch 

 us, drawing us into their 

 depths until we fairly gasp 

 at the rush of cold waters, the thick, slimy ooze under the tangled 

 roots holding the feet with almost overpowering suction. But it is a 

 rich treasure house of flowers, a delight and a joy to remember forever 



after — just such a bed as would attract the 



fairest and daintiest of New England's 1 



jewels — the brightest colored and choicest 

 of the flowers. 



Pearl street, itself, leads to Ashburn- 

 ham Centre and Meeting-house Hill, with 

 its wonderful views. It is well worth climlv 

 ing the great hill to stand on the north 

 brow and look across the Xaukeags with 

 their wooded islands, "when the gold of 

 evening meets the dusk of night ; " a view 

 unsurpassed, save, perhaps, on L,ake 

 George. On the way home, in late sum- 

 mer, we find a rattlesnake orchis ( Good- 

 vera pubcscois) by the roadside, and note the curious mark- 

 ings of the leaves. We may drive straight on from Pearl street to the 

 very edge of the town, to Worthington Park, at the end of the road, 



