rpntlP V ''ERTILE AND STERILE FRONDS LEAF-LIKE AND SIMILAR J 

 UKUUf V SPORANGIA m LINEAR OR OBLONG FRUIT -DOTS 



too, the scarcity of the plant in many localities, or, 

 indeed, its entire absence from certain parts of the 

 country, gives it a reputation for rarity which is one 

 of the most certain roads to fame. 



For many years I was unable to track it to any of 

 its haunts. During a summer spent in Rensselaer 

 County, N. Y., the Walking Leaf was the object of 

 various expeditions. I recall one drive of twenty- 

 five miles devoted to hunting up a rumored station. 

 At the end of the day, which 

 turned out cold and rainy, and 

 fruitless so far as its special ob- 

 ject was concerned, I felt in- 

 clined to believe that the plant 

 had justified its title and had 

 walked out of the neighborhood. 

 Yet, after all, no such expedi- 

 tion, even with wind and weather 

 against one, as in this case, is 

 really fruitless. The sharp watch 

 along the roadside, the many 



... ... . ... Portion of fertilt frond 



little expeditions into inviting 

 pastures, up promising cliffs, over moss-grown bowld- 

 ers, down to the rocky border of the brook, are sure 

 to result in discoveries of value or in moments of 

 delight. A flower yet unnamed, a butterfly beautiful 

 as a gem, an unfamiliar bird-song traced to its source, 

 a new, suggestive outlook over the well-known val- 

 ley, and, later, "a sleep pleasant with all the influences 

 of long hours in the open air " — any or all of these 

 results may be ours, and go to make the day count, 



147 



