MONTHLY SCRAPS. 



47 



when it turns abruptly downwards at an acute angle. These vagaries of nature 

 appear, in the present state of our imperfect knowledge, inexplicable. This plant 

 would no more grow if trained to an upright position, than one forcibly turned 

 downward from its naturally erect growth. Besides this, a rare plant, Hox- 

 burgia Gloriosoides, is just about to blossom for the first time, it is believed, in 

 this country. 



Adventures of botanical explorers. — We were much interested in Mr. 

 H. Knight's account of many of his adventures in search of botanical novelties 

 in many parts of America. Among others, the account he gave of his discovery 

 of the Ismene described above. It appears that the Alabama river, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Mobile, partakes of the nature of a mountain torrent, though 

 running through a flat country ; being a rapid and considerable river during the 

 winter months, whilst its bed is comparatively dry during the summer months ; 

 leaving, however, vast muddy swamps which are not dried hard till after the 

 hot sun of June has partially baked the surface, when they become sufficiently 

 hard to walk upon, and then they become favourite haunts of the botanist ; for 

 it seems that the inhabitants of Mobile are very fond of flowers, which is a 

 strong indication of a more refined intellectual civilization in such a situation 

 than we should be willing to admit without such evidence of its existence. Mr. 

 Knight had found many things to reward his researches in these swamps during 

 the dry season — canes, magnolias, &c. &c, but had deemed it inaccessible at any 

 other time. At last, however, being about to leave that part of the country, he 

 could not make up his mind to do so without another and last visit to the favour- 

 ite swamp ; and although it was in the month of March, and the swamp literally 

 a sea of mud, he was not deterred from carrying his project into execution ; 

 and knee deep, and sometimes half way up his thighs, he waded into his favourite 

 'hunting ground.' His perseverance did not go unrewarded, for he had scarcely 

 advanced into the heart of the swamp, when he beheld it fairly studded over 

 with the clusters of beautiful snow-white flowers (the supposed Ismene), and the 

 whole atmosphere perfumed with their delicious fragrance, on a frosty morning 

 in. March. The plants were about two feet high, and he immediately set to 

 work to abstract the prizes from their native mud ; but this he found was no 

 easy task, for the bulb frequently lay imbedded full two feet in the mud, so that 

 the entire plant was often four feet high, and in the effort to extract it, he was 

 often sunk nearly hip deep in this unpleasant bath. Malgre these disadvantages, 

 however, he managed to secure from four to five hundred bulbs, several of which 

 he sold to amateurs at Mobile for five dollars each, where, scarcely a mile dis- 

 tant, the plant was totally unknown. The swamp had often been explored when 

 hard during the summer months, but then this flower had dried down and dis- 

 appeared — its very site being covered with other vegetation. Mr. Knight was 

 the first to venture into the swamp at the only season when it could be seen. 



He was not, however, so fortunate in reaping the profit he might expect upon 



