A LONG ISLAND MKADOW 



much reading of description and consultation of 

 the plates in the back of Gray's manual, and in 

 Dr. Britton's new, delightful book, which gives 

 us pictures of everything, the " chairmaker's 

 rush " (although a sedge) I decided this abun- 

 dant and effective plant to be. 



Next I discovered the identity of the " smooth Smooth 

 marsh grass," a tall, graceful creature with rib- '"rJsV 

 bon-like leaves, and alternate branching spikes 

 of flowers, which let out a fringe of tremulous 

 purple stamens. Another abundant plant with 

 round stems and little brown flower-clusters I 

 placed without difficulty among the rushes, and 

 identified as the " common bog rush. " 



Other plants belonging to one or another of 

 these three groups, grasses, sedges, and rushes, 

 either by my own efforts or with the help of 

 wiser friends, I succeeded later in placing as 

 " panic grass," " dropseed," " bog bulrush," " red- 

 rooted Cyperus," " twig-rush," etc., while still Darwm 

 others I pressed and laid aside for future identi- grasses 

 fication, trying to take comfort in the thought 

 that even the infinitely patient Darwin found 

 himself baffled by the grasses. 



I think one seldom realizes more keenly the 

 swift flight of summer than when watching the 

 changes which take place in some one clearly 

 defined spot such as this meadow. It seemed as 



115 



