Po^onias and I^imodorums 89 



Ball Brook, near the Kimball barns below. It is one of 

 the stoniest channels, narrow and deeply worn, with 

 here and there graceful clinging ferns slightly caught 

 to the banks, and often completely hiding the huge 

 boulders and ledges. Pines and hemlocks are the 

 principal trees along this stream. The twisted and 

 uncovered reddish roots of the hemlocks seemed to 

 have split the black shelving slate rocks asunder with 

 their growth. I threaded my way as near the brook 

 as possible, often finding it necessary to wade in the 

 stream until I reached the bend in the road near 

 Meyers' s sugar-kitchen among the maples. Here, 

 turning to my right, I followed the shaded road leading 

 past the schoolhouse in District Fourteen, and home- 

 ward to Mount CEta. 



My orchids were pretty well withered on reaching 

 home, and not in good condition for studying. These 

 delicate species of Pogonia and lyimodorum are easily 

 wilted, losing their beauty and elasticity soon after be- 

 ing severed from their roots. These two species, Ad- 

 der's-Mouth Pogonia and Limodorum tuberosum, are 

 almost invariably found together, — comrades of differ- 

 ent genera that travel far and wide in company 

 throughout their continental ranges. 



The Adder's- Mouth Pogonia has been formerly con- 

 fused with our native species oi Arethiisa bulbosa, and 

 for some time was known as Adder's-Tongue Are- 

 thusa. Thomas Went worth Higginson writes: " On 

 peat-meadows the Adder's-Tongue Arethusa (now 

 called Pogonia) flowers profusely, with a faint, delicious 



