from the frenzy of Athamas. The other was named for
Andromeda; and the great Linnaeus, who gave the name, thus describes his
thought in giving it: "_Andromeda polifolia_ was now in its highest
beauty, decorating the marshy grounds in a most agreeable manner. The
flowers are quite blood-red before they expand, but when full-grown the
corolla is of a flesh-colour. As I contemplated it, I could not help
thinking of Andromeda as described by the poets; and the more I
meditated upon their descriptions, the more applicable they seemed to
the little plant before me. Andromeda is represented by them as a
virgin of most exquisite and unrivalled charms.... This plant is always
fixed on some little turfy hillock in the midst of the swamps, as
Andromeda herself was chained to the rock in the sea, which bathed her
feet as the fresh water does the roots of the plant. Dragons and
venomous serpents surrounded her, as toads and other reptiles frequent
the abode of her vegetable resembler. As the distressed virgin cast
down her face through excessive affliction, so does this rosy coloured
flower hang its head.... At length comes Perseus in the shape of
summer, dries up the surrounding water and destroys the monsters."

But more lovely than any of the shrubs along the river was that small
tree known as the sweet bay or the swamp laurel. Of course it is not a
laurel at all, but a magnolia (_Magnolia glauca_), and its glistening
leaves, dark green above, silvery beneath, are set around the large,
solitary flowers at the ends of the branches, like backgrounds of
malachite, to bring out the perfection of a blossom carved in fresh
ivory. What creamy petals are these, so thick, so tenderly curved
around the cone-like heart of the flower's fertility! They are warm
within, so that your finger can feel the soft glow in the centre of the
blossoms. But it is not for you to penetrate into the secret of their
love mystery. Leave that to the downy bee, the soft-winged moth, the
flying beetle, who, seeking their own pleasure, carry the
life-bestowing pollen from flower to flower. Your heavy hand would
bruise the soft flesh and discolor its purity. Be content to feast your
eyes upon its beauty, and breathe its wonderful fragrance, floating on
the air like the breath of love in the south and wild summer.

About the middle of the afternoon, after passing through miles of
enchanted forest, unbroken by sign of human habitation, we

"Cam