AMONG THE WILD FLOWERS 7 



rising above the foliage ? or were they flocks of white 

 doves with purple- stained breasts just lifting up 

 their wings to take flight ? or were they little fleets 

 of fairy boats, with sail set, tossing on a mimic sea 

 of wild, weedy growths ? Such images throng the 

 mind on recalling the scene, and only faintly hint 

 its beauty and animation. The long, erect, white 

 sepals do much to give the alert, tossing look which 

 the flower wears. The dim light, too, of its se- 

 cluded haunts, and its snowy purity and freshness, 

 contribute to the impression it makes. The purple 

 tinge is like a stain of wine which has slightly 

 overflowed the brim of the inflated lip or sac and 

 run part way down its snowy sides. 



This lady's-slipper is one of the' rarest and choi- 

 cest of our wild flowers, and its haunts and its beauty 

 are known only to the few. Those who have the 

 secret guard it closely, lest their favorite be exter- 

 minated. A well-known botanist in one of the large 

 New England cities told me that it was found in but 

 one place in that neighborhood, and that the secret, 

 so far as he knew, was known to but three persons, 

 and was carefully kept by them. 



A friend of mine, an enthusiast on orchids, came 

 one June day a long way by rail to see this flower. 

 I conducted him to the edge of the swamp, lifted up 

 the branches as I would a curtain, and said, " There 

 they are." 



" Where ? " said he, peering far into the dim re- 

 cesses. 



"Within six feet of you," I replied. 



