CAROLINA WREN. 
Thryothorus Iudovicianus BoNnapP. 
PLate XXVI. Fic. 6. 
One morn when from the face of March The dew-drops on the lowly grass 
The frowns had all departed, With brighter lustre glistened ; 
Beneath the sky’s blue, sunny arch, The sailing clouds forgot to pass, 
A bird sang jocund-hearted: But lingered, stopped, and listened; 
It was the strong-voiced Mocking Wren, The wood, the meadow, and the stream, 
And loud his lay rang there and then, All listened, all entranced did seem, 
O’er wood, and stream, and meadow. While that small bird still chanted. 
Now, whether he in magic cup And I—I stopped and listened, too, 
Had dipped his bill, or whether And light as is a feather 
It was that he had just waked up, me My winter-burdened spirits grew; 
And found ’twas pleasant weather, : And I for pleasant weather 
I do not know; but freedom, joy, Thanked the great Lord of life and love, 
And triumph, all without alloy, Even as the minstrel throned above, 
Were in that song commingled And felt as if new-wakened. 
Would I might from some magic cup, 
Some fount of inspiration, 
Quaff deep, or wake more truly up 
To this most fair creation; 
To beauty, duty, love, and good; 
Then would I sing in loftier mood, 
And all the world would listen! W. L. SHOEMAKER. 
ERHAPS no portion of our country can boast of so luxuriant a growth of charm- 
- ingly beautiful plants as the mountain region of South Carolina and adjacent 
states. At the same time, the gardens of this region, especially near the coast, far 
surpass those of other parts of the United States in beauty and variety. The flora 
of the southern Alleghanies is very rich. The most beautiful plants of our country 
seem to congregate there. Of late years, the railroads have penetrated the seemingly 
boundless fastnesses of luxuriant vegetation, their lines of steel winding through deep 
gorges and over wide chasms, unveiling to the entranced gaze of the beholder the most 
wonderful riches of floral beauty-and variety. The hills are clothed in green, to their 
very summits, and bewildering forms of beauty appear on every side. Ferns, too, grow 
‘here in unlimited profusion, and vines climb to the tops of the tallest trees. The 
greatest floral treasures of these marvelous mountain landscapes are the ericaceous 
plants. Foremost among these are the azaleas or the ‘‘mountain honeysuckles,”’ which 
are massed together in dense profusion and luxuriance. The flame-colored azalea! is a 
magnificent shrub, covered in May and June with thick, heavy clusters of yellowish, 
fiery-red, or orange-colored blossoms. Imagine whole mountain-sides crowned with 
dense masses of this and other varieties, from two to eight feet in height, as far as the 
eye can reach, mingled with spruces, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, ferns, and other 
plants of enchanting beauty! The pinxter flower? and the swamp honeysuckle? with 
1 Azalea calendulacea. 2 Azalea nudiflora. 3 Azalea viscosa. 
