
          881.
* In several places we found peach trees in bloom. At S's we found a plum
tree in bloom.

old colored woman's.  As we crossed the swampy bottom in the rear of her
house we found in many places a large Lycopodium which may perhaps 
prove to be L. alopecuroides.  In a ploughed field beyond this wet place
we found a large snake, brownish in color and over a yard long.  It did
not seem to notice us and remained perfectly still.  I had passed it
twice and had not seen it.  When Mr. W. went towards it, it began to
move away and as he kept stepping towards it, it kept on moving; but
suddenly it changed its tactics, it turned about and struck at him.  It now
faced Mr. W. ready to strike again, should he come closer.  It seemed to
be very angry and kept vibrating its tail most rapidly.  The tail as it
vibrated make a peculiar noise, but whether this was caused simply by striking
the grass I could not tell.  Whenever Mr. W. approached it, it would
strike.  Mr. W. now got a long stick, but although he put it immediately
in front of the snake, it would not strike.  It now tried to hide itself
in the cut weeds and in a few minutes disappeared, and we started
onward to F. H.*   From F. H. we went to Glenburnie, where we took the train.

397
March 29, 1903.  A trip to Brooklyn to gather Skunk Cabbage for Miss E.
To-day, it is very much colder than yesterday, in fact, it is decidedly wintry.
I left home about 9 o'clock, took the car, reaching B. about 9.15 and
then proceeded at once to the little ravine.  I looked carefully for Skunk
        