66 THROUGH GLADE AND MEAD. 
and the purple-fringed orchis (1. jimbriata, R. Br.), 
and three of the lady’s slippers, the stemless ( Cypri- 
pedium acaule, Ait.), the large yellow (C. pubescens, 
Willd.) and the small yellow (C. parvifiorum, Salisb.). 
These form a very interesting group, both in themselves 
and in their relation to a great family. They are much 
sought and are highly prized. They hold the same 
rank among our wild’ flowers that the scarlet tanager, 
the rose-breasted grosbeak, the bobolink, the Baltimore 
oriole, the redstart and the goldfinch hold among the 
birds. 
The development of ferns is an interesting sight 
connected with our native flora. Each genus has its 
own manner. This shepherd’s crook will develop by 
and by into a tall osmunda, of which we have three 
species. The name of this genus has given rise to some 
speculation as to its derivation. Some suppose it to be 
from Osmunder, the Celtic name of the god Thor of the 
Scandinavian mythology. Moore in his ‘ Popular His- 
tory of British Ferns” gives another, to which I refer 
the reader curious in such matters. In Hooker and 
Baker’s “Synopsis Filicum” six species of this genus 
are described, three of which, the cinnamon fern (QOs- 
munda cinnamomea, L.), the interrupted fern (O. Clay- 
toniana, L.) and the flowering fern (O. regalis, L.), are 
cosmopolitan. The first is found from Newfoundland and 
