Boggy solitudes of Nantucket . hile the leaves have the magic of beingtransformed, apparently, into iridescent frostedsilver when held beneath the water. Every one who has been upon a walking or a boatingtour, living in the open air, with the body in constant exer-cise and the mind in fallow, knows true ease and quiet. The irritating action of the brain is set at rest; wethink in a plain unfeverish temper; little things seem bigenough, and great things no longer portentous: and theworld is smilingly accepted as it is.—Stevenson. CHAPTER V T is the last of July inthe bogs—and thecalopogon is ab
Boggy solitudes of Nantucket . hile the leaves have the magic of beingtransformed, apparently, into iridescent frostedsilver when held beneath the water. Every one who has been upon a walking or a boatingtour, living in the open air, with the body in constant exer-cise and the mind in fallow, knows true ease and quiet. The irritating action of the brain is set at rest; wethink in a plain unfeverish temper; little things seem bigenough, and great things no longer portentous: and theworld is smilingly accepted as it is.—Stevenson. CHAPTER V T is the last of July inthe bogs—and thecalopogon is aboutgone, the pogonia andarethusa of the past,and white-and green-fringed orchis justcoming into ten minutes Ifound four orchis to-day, a belated po-gonia, some calopo-gon, and green-fringed orchis and white-fringed orchis. These were all growing in abog towards Tom Nevers Head. The entire bog is a network of the thread-leaved sundew, with its delicate little noddingraceme of buds, and a solitary pink flower 53. 54 BOGGY SOLITUDES OF NANTUCKET opening each day to the sun, amid its glis-tening jewel-like leaves. It was impossibleto take a step without crushing it. Soft grayreindeer moss and liverworts, also many otherinteresting little growths, were on every handwithin the spongy bog. Great spires of fireweed had assembled incompanies, and were devouring the outeredge, while one queer moss, in grotesqueshapes, looked like a miniature menagerieamong the vines of cranberry and wild straw-berry. Just outside was the solid hedge of azaleaand the elder; with its great, creamy, sweet-smelling, lacy flowers, in striking contrast tothe rich dark-green leaves. Flies and beetleshovered near, attracted by the honey-like odorof the plant. Later in the year the clusters ofdark, juicy fruit will make the spicy elder-berry wine so beloved of our forefathers. Wild roses twined in and out, a pink blos-som here and there, while interesting wand-like aletris stood amid the tufts of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidboggyso, booksubjectbotany
