OCTOBER 85 



comers of some suiiiiy, thawing day of early March 

 or late February. 



The goldenrod now in bloom seems all of one 

 species — a tall-stemmed one. The red clover is 

 in bloom everywhere though nowhere in summer 

 profusion. White clover, dandelions, yellow wood- 

 sorrel, and shepherd's purse are among the few 

 familiar plants now in bloom. Coming home across 

 the open rolling fields we gathered quite a bouquet 

 of violets, looking carefully for them in the gath- 

 ering dusk and picking them with chilling fingers. 

 These were of the kind the boys call *'bird's-foot,'^ 

 with parted leaves very unlike the rounded leaves 

 of the ''wood violet," and usually with blossoms 

 of much lighter color than those of that species.^® 

 The blossoming plants we found in the fields this 

 month had exceedingly small leaves and short 

 stems. A long, hot summer followed by heavy 

 rains, without heavy frost, may account for this 

 October bloom. Two years ago both the field vio- 

 lets and the wood violets were in bloom in this 

 month. As for the robins so for the violets, the 

 rather rare autumn blossoms, seen the same day 

 with goldenrod, make a very different appeal from 

 the May flowers, sharing attention with straw- 

 berry blossoms, puccoon, false indigo, and butter- 

 cups." 



16 See Appendix, Note 13. 



17 See Appendix, Note 22. 



