1895.] ESSAYS. 79 



ment more enduring than brass and nobler than the royal structure of 

 pyramids when he named for him the exclusively American genus, 

 Kalmia or laurel. The name of Kalm is thus preserved safe from the 

 effects of destructive storms or the flight of time. His fame cannot 

 wholly die so long as, all over the civilized world where the Kalmia 

 grows naturally or as an exotic, his name is perennnially upon men's 

 lips. In the whole of North America, north of Mexico, there are 

 but five species, three of which are abundant with us, the other two 

 being confined to lowlands along the coast from Virginia to Florida. 

 The pale laurel, Kalmia glauca, Ait., comes into bloom early and 

 escapes observation, except from those who are seeking it. It is 

 followed by the sheep laurel, K. angustifolia, L., and the mountain 

 laurel, K. latifolia, L., perhaps the most conspicuous flowering shrub 

 in June. Kalmia blossoms have a special adaptation for cross-fertiliz- 

 ation that is worthy of notice. In the flower-bud, each of the ten an- 

 thers is lodged in a small cavity, and the filaments are nearly straight ; 

 but when the saucer-shaped corolla is fully opened, these filaments 

 are curved outward and backward, resembling a curved spring. The 

 anthers, unless aided, cannot get out of those little cavities or shed 

 their pollen. Humble-bees in search of nectar, touch the filaments, 

 brush against them with sufticient force to dislodge the anthers, when 

 the filaments spring back with considerable energy and throw the 

 pollen from the two orifices at the apex of the anther cells. Some 

 pollen may be thrown in this way upon the single small stigma at the 

 tip of the style, but some of it is thrown upon the underside of the in- 

 sect's body, from which a part at least is brushed off upon the stigmas 

 of other flowers. Nature is most prodigal of pollen. She is profuse 

 in her expenditure of resources to accomplish her ends. In fair 

 weather we shall find few of the fully opened flowers that have not 

 been visited by some insert, as is shown by the now dislodged, in- 

 curved and relaxed stamens. 



Our woods present no more charming sight than a path lined on 

 both sides with this handsome shrub in full flower. 



I have now in my mind such a one. It should be seen on one of 

 the rare June days. Far off through the waving branches overhead 

 may be seen the pale blue sky, flecked here and there with a thin 

 streak of cloud ; butterflies are flitting slowy by ; the caw of a distant 

 crow, or the scream of a bluejay ngar at hand, or the twitter of the 

 smaller birds tell us of the bird life around ; and on each hand are 

 these beautiful pink or white flowers in such profusion that we 

 scarcely know which to pluck or which to leave behind. 



