1922] SMITH, BOTANY IN SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN 131 



the southwestern end of the county crossing over to Dubuque, Iowa, on 

 the toll bridge. This was a beautiful drive over route 28, with great 

 ridge scenery. 



We found that we had exceeded our record in number of sheets, 

 collecting 1,126 sheets in Grant county, but that new species were hard 

 to find, so we decided to move on and avail ourselves of Ed Ochsner's 

 Prairie du Sac invitation. Accordingly on Wednesday, August second, 

 w^e struck the trail on route 80 at one o'clock, going through Arthur 

 and Livingston to join route 19 at Montfort. Then we went through 

 Cobb and Edmunton to Dodgeville, where we struck ofif over route 

 28 to Spring Green. Route 28 was quite rough after the rain, also 

 hilly and sandy. On one particularly rough hill, we managed to break 

 three leaves of the front springs, and had to proceed slowly to Prairie 

 du Sac, getting in after five in the evening. Two hours before we 

 arrived, Ed Ochsner had received a postal card sent two days before 

 from Dubuque, Iowa, saying that we were coming. He had made 

 arrangements with Herbert Stoddard's grandmother, Mrs. Charles 

 Stoddard, for our room and board, and it was a most amicable arrange- 

 ment. We had an old curiosity shop of Herb's grandfather, for a 

 workshop to dry our specimens and it seemed as if everybody in town 

 was our friend. We took our "bassinet" down to the Royal Neighbors' 

 picnic to bring Mrs. Ochsner home from the park, and were put right 

 to work in the men's contest for sewing the best buttonhole, and won 

 the first prize. Take it any way you like, Prairie du Sac is a friendly 

 town. 



We traveled morning and afternoon, all of the time we were there, 

 for the collecting was good and three counties joined there. Part of 

 the time we were using the motorcycle and the rest of the time, Ed 

 Ochsner had us on all day trips in his Ford along with Bob Patterson, 

 his major domo, for ballast. A life-time hunter and woodsman, none 

 knew the country better than Ed, and we were indeed lucky to have 

 such an observant guide to accompany us. He had seen a different 

 kind of water lily over near Crystal Lake in Dane county and sure 

 enough, it was the Yellow Lotus (Nelumbo lutea), the first report of 

 it from Dane county. On our way to Crystal Lake, we heard a big 

 racket at the water's edge, and got out to investigate. We were aston- 

 ished to see two male minks so busy fighting that they could not see us 

 nor get our scent. Although we four were standing within eight feet 

 of them for fully ten minutes, they were so intent on fighting that they 

 paid no attention. They fought like bulldogs, getting a lower jaw hold, 



