DOGGETT] NA T URE STUDY AT HIGHLA ND CA MP 175 



twenty-five different plants or flowers. This, of course, was an 

 astonishing number to them and they would go about the hunt in 

 a very unsystematic scramble. First they were called back to look 

 at a little chickweed, with its delicate mouse-eared flower, that was 

 just at their feet; near it they found a white clover, then a red 

 clover, a daisy, an Am.erican plantain — which some recognized as 

 "bird seed" and remembered how mother or auntie had gathered 

 the seed whips for the canary bird at home. So we walked on, 

 finding flower after flower until we came to a damp spot by the 

 roadside, with some smartweed growing. All were invited to take 

 a little bite of the leaf and chew it for a moment. The result 

 was an uprorar of laughing and screaming, while not a few leaves 

 were gathered to be given to "best friends" later on. 



As we came nearer to the water, there was some slightly marshy 

 ground and here we picked a few yellow flowers which, when 

 rubbed, smelled unmistakably of — ^mustard. ! Then the girls were 

 asked to kick around a little in the high grass and sedges. Again, 

 an unmistakable odor, but one of the happy associations, was 

 promptly and excitedly recognized as "chewing gum"! Needless 

 to say, we were in a marsh fllled with spearmint. But this was 

 not the climax of the expedition, although we had reached our 

 quota, b}^ this time. We soon ran across some jewel weed, or 

 * * silver leaf ' . When the leaves were put under water and turned a 

 most beautiful, pure silver, we almost had a riot and one of the 

 girls, in her eagerness to apply the test, slipped into the water on 

 all fours. 



Every one of those common roadside flowers, introduced to that 

 group that day, became well-remembered friends. On the train 

 that took the girls back to the noisy, dusty city, the experiences of 

 the simimer were lived over again, and the names of the flowers, 

 learned on that first nature walk, were recalled in lively competi- 

 tion. 



This same method was carried out with the trees and larger 

 shrubs. The difference between the leaves of the spruce and hem- 

 lock was noted; the different number of leaves on the several 

 varieties of pine; the teeth on the poplars ; the thorns of the thorn 

 apple and locust; the bright red rootlets of the willows, growing 

 by the water — all of these were new and wonderful to the younger 

 campers. The witch hazel made the strongest impression, as tliey 

 learned that what was used at home for s])rains and l)ruiscs came 

 from this curious-flowering tree. 



