EPIPACTIS VIRIDIFLORA 171 
petal assumes a form strongly suggesting the Moccasin 
of her beautiful and distinguished sisters ♦ This 
embryo Moccasin sometimes shows a suggestion of 
pink, but it is so small and the colour so mild that it 
lacks attractiveness* The Epipactis is distinguished 
from the other plain members of the family by the 
absence of a spur on the twisted petal and by a 
microscopic box and lid for holding the pollen* 
There is a little depression running down the side 
of a steep, tree-covered hill by the Don valley where 
the Epipactis grows* This small, transverse ravine 
guides a rushing stream for a few days when the 
snow is melting in the spring and the absorbent earth 
is hard with frost, but all summer it is dry* Oak and 
Maple leaves gather in it farther up the bank, and 
these are gradually washed down in their slow return 
to the soil* On the southern slope just above the 
damp levels and under the open shade of a few small 
Hemlocks is the scattered bed of these rare Orchids* 
More than a dozen have opened their quiet, unat- 
tractive flowers and are ripening their oval seed pods* 
The first thought on discovering them is of the havoc 
that would ensue if the botanist found a clue to their 
whereabouts* But Orchids, like all the good things 
of life, are for those who appreciate* Ownership and 
possession are but trifling considerations, and they 
who have the appreciation should be satisfied without 
seeking more. 
