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Going up the path to the abandoned fire observatory, we 

 soon began to see great numbers of Dicenira eximia, rare north- 

 ward, but the prevailing bloom at the season on this mountain, 

 very handsome and profuse in its purple flowers, resembling the 

 Garden Bleeding Heart. Fossil Calamite impressions were fre- 

 quent in the sandstone fragments along the path. 



The summit <>l Spruce Knob is a long, rather level area, a 

 mile wide, and eight miles long, mostly above 4,500 feet. The 

 ascent from the high valley on the west is gentle, but there is a 

 drop of almost 3,000 feet into the valley to the east and a mag- 

 nificent view covering several parallel high ridges in that direc- 

 tion. 



On the red spruces and on Abies Fraseri, near the highest 

 point, we found our old friend of high spots, from Gaspe to the 

 Great Smokies, Parmelia Cladonia. Walking northward, we 

 found large and robust masses of Cladonia rangiferina, as tall 

 as one finds it 700 miles north. But the prize discovery was 

 Cladonia alpestris, rarely reported south of the latitude of New 

 York, and not before found in West Virginia. It grew with 

 C. rangiferina, in sheltered crevices fractured in the summit 

 sandstone. C. gracilis, f. dilatata was common in the spruce 

 woods on the west slope, which we descended back to our 

 car. 



We sought another way off Spruce Knob, and descended 

 about 2,500 feet, along rather alarming roads, one way, no place 

 for turn outs, with steep slopes dropping several hundred feet 

 into gullies, on the outside. On the way, a furry growth on the 

 bars of a gate at a mountain farm proved to be dense masses of 

 Alectoriajubata, Usnea barbata, and Ramalina calicaris, mingled 

 together like sheep's wool. 



On Saturday, Mr. Gray and his daughter and two of his 

 sons joined us and we went to Cheat Bridge, where we found 

 ample, robust C. gracilis, f. dilatata, Parmelia Cladonia and 

 other interesting things. Mr Gray remained with us until mid- 

 afternoon, showing us more of his Cladonia locations, and we 

 parted with him and his children in the hope that we may enjoy 

 more such excursions with such an accomplished and kindly 

 guide. 



Raymond H. Torrkv 



