176 HUMBLE FAMILIES IN GRAY. 



to the bark or earth, readily attracts the attention 

 of the rambler. They are in the shape of cups 

 and saucers, wine glasses and goblets, clubs and 

 spurs, and mimic shrubs, branched in many curi- 

 ous ways. The cardinal flowers by the stream in 

 Summer do not sooner catch the eye than the scar- 

 let apothecia of this cock-spur lichen growing at the 

 foot of old trees and around decayed stumps. 

 The bright-red heads mingled with the mosses, or 

 raised above the dull, ash-green mat, gleam like 

 living coals and make many a niche and corner in 

 the old gray woods, to blossom like the rose. 

 This crumbling pine stump, fairly sparkling with 

 the lichen fire, is beautiful to look upon. Such a 

 gay color, among the prevailing drabs and browns, 

 stimulates the sight. One feasts his eyes upon it, 

 as he would feast on the red apples from the opened 

 hoard in the field in Spring, albeit there is better 

 fruit in the stalls, and as glowing colors in the 

 milliners' windows. It is the wildness and earth- 

 iness of it that gives it its charm. It seems 

 almost irreverent to break the brilliant rosary on 

 which one could count his prayers, but like chil- 

 dren we can not suppress our desire to handle 

 the pretty beads and to see the inside of things. 

 Some of these thalline stalks bear no fruit, but 

 grow up like thorns, stout at the base, tapering to 

 quite a sharp point and somewhat curved, while 

 those having the scarlet heads are of irregular 



