Literary Pilgrimages of a NaturalistPackard, Winthrop
History
Literary Pilgrimages of a Naturalist
Packard, Winthrop
Natural history -- Outdoor books; New England -- Description and travel
I think, rather, its name was given in good-natured derision of
Billington and his idea of the importance of his discovery, a form
of quaint humor not unknown in the descendants of the Pilgrims to
this day. Yet the waters of the little winding pond are as clear
as those of the sea which breaks on the rocks of Manomet or the
Gurnet, and the hilly shores, close set with deciduous growth, are
almost as wild as they were then. The robins that greeted the dawn
on Burial Hill sang here at mid-day, blackbirds chorused, and song
sparrows sent forth their tinkling songs from the shrubby growths.
Plymouth woods, here at least, are a monotony of oaks. Yet here and
there in the low places a maple has become a burning bush of ruby
flame, and along the bog edges the willows are in the full glory
of their yellow plumes. The richest massed coloring one can see in
the region to-day, though, is that of the cranberry bogs. Looking
away from the sun the thick-set vines are a level floor of rich
maroon, not a level color but a background showing the brush marks
of a master painter’s hand. Toward the sun this color lightens and
silvers to tiny jewel points where the light glances from glossy
leaf tips. The later spring growth will fleck the bogs with green,
but the maroon background will still be there.
The arbutus does not trail in all spots beneath the oaks, even
in this secluded wilderness. Sometimes one thinks he sees broad
stretches green with its rounded leaves only to find last year’s
checkerberries grinning coral red at him, instead of the soft
pink tints and spicy odor of the Epigæa blooms. Sometimes the
pyrola simulates it and cracks the gloss on its leaves with a wan
wintergreen smile at the success of the deception. But after a
little the eye learns to discriminate in winter greens and to know
the outline of the arbutus leaf and its grouping from that of the
others. Then success in the hunt should come rapidly. After all
Epigæa and Gaultheria are vines closely allied, and it is no wonder
that there is a family resemblance. The checkerberry’s spicy flavor
permeates leaves, stem and fruit. That of the arbutus seems more
volatile and ethereal. It concentrates in the blossom and rises
from that to course the air invisibly, an aromatic fragrance that
the little winds of the woods sometimes carry far to those who love
it, over hill and dale. Given a day of bright sun and slow-moving
soft air and one may easily hunt the Plymouth mayflowers by scent.
Even after the grouped leaves are surely sighted the flowers are
still to be found. The winds of winter have strewn the ground deep
with oak leaves and half buried the vines in them for safety from
the cold. Out from among these the blossoms seem to peer shyly,
like sweet little Pilgrim children, ready to draw back behind
their mother’s aprons if they do not like the appearance of the
coming stranger. Perhaps they do withdraw at discretion, and this
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account