FAR AND NEAR 



den within the bonnet. I have found this rare flower 

 in the Adirondacks and in Maine. It may doubtless 

 be found in Canada, and in Michigan and Wis- 

 consin. Britton and Brown say " south to Florida 

 and Texas." It is the most fragrant August flower 

 known to me. This month has not nrany fragrant 

 flowers to boast of. Besides the above and the pond- 

 lily I recall two others, — the small purple fringed- 

 orchis and a species of lady's-tresses (Spiraiithes 

 ccrnua). 



The characteristic odors of August are from fruit 

 — grapes, peaches, apples, pears, melons — and the 

 ripening grain; yes, and the blooming buckwheat. 

 Of all the crop and farm odors this last is the most 

 pronounced and honeyed, rivaling that of the flow er- 

 ing locust of May and of the linden in July. 



The mistakes of our lesser poets in dealing with 

 nature themes might furnish me with many a text in 

 this connection. Thus one of them makes the call of 

 the phoebe-bird prominent in August. One w^ould 

 infer from the poem that the phoebe was not heard 

 during any other month. Now it is possible that 

 the poet heard the phoebe in August, but if so, the 

 occurrence was exceptional, and it is more proba- 

 ble that it was the wood pewee that he heard. The 

 phoebe is most noticeable in April and early May, 

 and its characteristic call is not often heard till the 

 sun is well up in the sky. Most of our song-birds 

 are silent in August, or sing only fitfully, as do the 



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