AUGUST. 191 



marsh frogs associated witli the upland toads ; and these 

 often looked hopelessly at sea, with puddles replacing all 

 their sandy haunts and rank grass growing where seldom 

 a blade of grass had grown before. Even the water snakes 

 ventured from the creek and summered in the highlands, 

 finding many a pool that suflSced them when they yearned 

 for a comfortable swim. 



Many of the forest trees budded again and grew a 

 new series of leaves, and early flowers reopened their 

 blossoms and gave the botanist an excellent opportunity 

 to compare fresh specimens of such as bloom in April 

 with those that blossom late. Some of the early autumn 

 blossoms, on the other hand, were hastened to maturity, 

 and particularly about our water courses September 

 flowers were prominent in early August. This may not 

 have been due to the season, however, for these plants 

 vary every year, according to locality, and often single 

 plants bloom much in advance of their proper time. But, 

 more strangely still, some species that were abundant a 

 year ago are now not to be found. They have totally dis- 

 appeared. Whether this has been brought about by the 

 weather, or causes in operation last winter, as ice, is diffi- 

 cult to determine ; but such sudden appearances and dis- 

 appearances are not uncommon. In the case of the sum- 

 mer of 1887 the excessive rainfall might well be a cause 

 of a plant's disappearance, inasmuch as the ground was 

 so thoroughly soaked that the roots must have been in- 

 jured, if not destroyed ; while the year before, for months 

 the same spot was comparatively dry, and then the plant 

 flourished admirably. But plants also appeared where 

 they had not grown before. Some instances of this kind 

 were very marked. Upon a knoll in one of the higher 

 meadows, which usually supports no other plant life than 

 dwarfish mosses and lichens, there suddenly appeared 

 many patches of bluets and scattered clusters of pent- 



