160 EVERYDAY ADVENTURES 



cally the mystic word "Blephariglottis." In front of 

 him, on a green stem, was clustered a mass of little 

 flowers of incomparable whiteness, with fringed lips 

 and long spikes. One petal bent like a canopy over 

 the brown stamens, while the other two flared out on 

 either side, like the wings of tiny white butterflies. 

 It was the white-fringed orchid (Habenaria blephari- 

 glottis). Beside her whiteness even the snowy petals 

 of the water-lily and the white alder showed yellow 

 tones. Like El Nath among the stars, the white 

 fringed orchid is the standard of whiteness for the 

 flowers. 



Three great blue herons flew over our heads, folded 

 their wings, and alighted not thirty yards away — 

 an unheard-of proceeding for this wary bird. A 

 Henslow sparrow sang his abrupt and, to us, almost 

 unknown song. The Botanist neither saw nor heard. 

 All the way home he was in a blissful daze, and when 

 I said good-bye to him at the station, he only mur- 

 mured happily "Blephariglottis." 



