MAY. 123 



farther north. A somewhat curious feature of the distri- 

 bution of the birds I saw will be referred to subsequently. 



Although the orchids were fascinating, the earth-stars 

 curious, and a scarlet-blooming lichen that I found about 

 the roots of every pine was a mine of pleasure, it was 

 nevertheless with a feeling of relief that I detected at last 

 a sunlit opening in the distance. I hastened thither and 

 found for a considerable space no evergreen was to be 

 seen save a single cedar, and all was fresh, crisp, and 

 sparkling. I did not know how thirsty I was until I saw 

 the water, and suspect that animals of nearly every kind 

 love the sight of it, even if it is not a necessity. It was a 

 woodland basin that I had found, with, in part, quite pre- 

 cipitous sides, and a dripping spring at one overhanging 

 point that kept the ferns " a nid, nid, nodding " where the 

 bright drops fell. It would have been strange if no birds 

 had appeared, but here they were, seven different kinds, 

 and each a song-bird of merit. Nor were they silent. The 

 oven-birds sang continuously, but not so loudly as I have 

 heard, while the single indigo finch, the chewinks, and 

 thrushes sang simply as they always do wherever they 

 may be. 



But birds alone were not sufficient for such a spot, and 

 I longed for the sight of a frog, a snake, a mouse in the 

 grass or squirrel among the trees. No, it is not a fancy, 

 as I have heard it said ; these regions, beautiful as they 

 are, do not team with life as do the tamer regions nearer 

 large towns. 



The pitcher-plants, which without a blossom were 

 so attractive a feature of all swampy spots during my 

 earlier visit, added to their beauty now by bearing aloft 

 on straight, stifE stems a curiously intricate flower, varying 

 from deep red to purple, the iTiddy portion surround- 

 ing a yellow umbrella-shaped growth, the short handle of 

 which is an ivory globe. 



