16 AT THE NORTH OF BEARCAMP WATER . 
witched by the spots of sunlight which dapple 
the woodland carpet. Walking with the sun 
behind me, the sunlight, especially where it fell 
in small round spots on the beech leaves before 
me, was of an unmistakably amethystine hue. 
Several years ago when I first noticed this, I 
supposed it to be due to temporary causes, but 
I am now convinced that the color will always 
be distinguishable when the conditions named 
are favorable. 
The loveliest July flower in the woods fring¬ 
ing Chocorua is the mitchella, named by Lin¬ 
naeus for Dr. John Mitchell of Virginia. In 
their small round leaves of dark glossy green, 
their creeping stems, their modest, delicate- 
tinted and highly-perfumed blossoms, the flower 
of Linnaeus and the flower of Mitchell are much 
alike. The partridge-berry, as the mitchella 
is commonly called, begins to bloom just as the 
linnaea bells cease to swing. It is an ever¬ 
green, and all through the winter its bright 
green leaves and red berries are one of the 
pledges of returning life after snow and ice have 
vanished. The flower is small and faces the 
sky. It is white with a delicate rosy blush 
tinging its corolla, chiefly on its outer side. 
The four pointed petals open wide and curve 
back, exposing the whole interior of the flower 
to view. Each petal is covered on its inner 
