260 VIRGINIA 



large oaks and walnuts ; much smaller than 

 they, and for that reason, it is to be supposed, 

 not noticed in my three previous passages 

 along the avenue. They are particular favor- 

 ites of mine, and I made them sincere apolo- 

 gies. In another place was a patch of what 

 I knew must be the fragrant sumach, some- 

 thing I had wished to see for many years : 

 low, upright shrubs, yet resembling poison 

 ivy so closely that for a minute I shrank 

 from gathering a specimen, although I was 

 certain beyond a peradventure that the 

 plant was not poison ivy and could not be 

 noxious to the touch ; just as people in gen- 

 eral, through force of early instruction and 

 example (miscalled instinct), shiver at the 

 thought of handling a snake, though it be of 

 some kind which they know to be as harm- 

 less as a kitten. While in chase of the ceru- 

 lean, also, I had stumbled on several bunches 

 of cancer-root QConophoUs)^ rising out of 

 the dead leaves, a dozen or more of stems in 

 each close bunch ; queer, unwholesome-look- 

 ing, yellowish things, reminding me of ears 

 of rice-corn, so called. I had never seen the 

 plant till the day before. 



The next morning my course was beyond 



