ORCHID-HUNTING 155 



Whereupon I unwound the rattling coils from my 

 arm, and then broke all speed records in removing 

 my hand from the neighborhood of that snake. 

 This was my first introduction to the King of the 

 Dark Places, the grim timber rattlesnake, the hand- 

 somest of all the thirteen varieties found within the 

 United States. 



On my way back from the den it was Jim Pan who 

 pointed out to me on the lower slope of the mountain 

 the beautiful showy orchid (Orchis spectabilis). Be- 

 tween two oblong shining green leaves grew a loose 

 spike of purple-pink and white butterfly blossoms. 

 This is the first of the orchids to appear, and no 

 more exquisite or beautiful flower could head the 

 procession which stretches from May until Septem- 

 ber. I find this flower but seldom, usually because 

 I am not in the hill-country early enough, although 

 once I found a perfect flower in bloom as late as Dec- 

 oration Day, a left-over from the first spring flowers. 



It was Jim, too, that day, who quite appropri- 

 ately showed me the rattlesnake plantain (Goody era 

 pubescens), with its rosette of green leaves heavily 

 veined with white, from the centre of which in late 

 summer grows a spike of crowded, greenish- white 

 flowers. Under the doctrine of signatures, these 

 leaves are still thought by many to be a sure cure for 

 the bite of a rattlesnake. Personally, I would rather 

 rely on a sharp knife and permanganate of potash. 

 In the same group as the rattlesnake plantain are 

 several varieties of lady's tresses, which grow in 

 every damp meadow in midsummer and early fall. 



