82 FIELD AND FOREST. 



Across the river, Shelby Pond furnishes an abundant supply of Ne~ 

 lumbium luteum, in every stage, covering several acres, its broad leaves 

 standing a foot or more out of the water. 



Looking for a conveyance up the river, we find a curious craft pe- 

 culiar to the region, perhaps 25 feet long, 18 inches wide in the centre, 

 running to a point at either end, and not over a foot deep, made of 

 thin boards, and with a long oar projecting astern to keep her head 

 to the current; while the boatman propels the craft with paddle or 

 pole. 



The weight of three of us brought the gunwale to within two inches 

 of the water, in a way very suggestive of an involuntary bath. How- 

 ever, our boatman proved himself thoroughly master of river naviga- 

 tion, and not even a wet foot interfered with our comfort. 



Walking along the bank, while our boat kept pace with us, we- 

 found Diodia Virginica, Heliophytum Indicum, Heuchera villosa, Sper- 

 macoce glabra, Conobea multifida, Enslenia albida, Iresine celosioides, 

 Solidago rupestris, Plucheafottida, Cleome pungens, Leptochloa mucro- 

 nota, Coccidus Carolinus, Commelyna communis, and many other more 

 familiar species. 



On the sandy island, a couple of miles above, we find a grape, ap- 

 parently Vitis vulpina, with abundance of small black fruit, about as- 

 large as the largest peas, but very sweet and pleasant flavored. The 

 island is partly covered with almost impenetrable thickets of Ambrosia 

 irifida, fully twenty feet high and two inches in diameter, and here 

 and there great clumps of Helianthus doronicoides nearly as tall. 



Climbing the limestone cliffs along the river bank, we find Hyperi- 

 cum aureum, Philadelphia hirsulus, Bumelia lycioides, Brachychaeta 

 cor data, Pellaea atropurpurea and Sediim pule he Hum. 



Leaving Nashville, we noticed along the railroad Cassia obtusifolia 

 and occidentalis, patches of Conoclinium coelestinum, Calamintha ne- 

 peta, and Pardanthus Chinensis, and everywhere masses of Vernonia 

 fasciculata, and Verbesina Siegesbeckii, with occasionally V. Virginica. 



Near Tullahoma, where we had hoped to spend some hours, we see 

 a region of great promise, but a pouring rain forbids us to stop. 



Ascending Lookout Mountain, in the latter part of the same storm,, 

 we enjoy a magnificent view, and, despite the rain, collect Hydrangea- 

 radiata, Campanula divaricata, Eryngium yuecc? folium, Coreopsis seni— 

 folia, and several others. 



