The firft of thefe, the one here figured is evidently the 

 foelicus of Linnveus, judging by the authors to whom he 

 refers in the third edition of his Spec. PL which are indeed 

 few in number, and confined chiefly to Bauh. Pin. and 

 Bodoneeus ; of the fecond, and third, he takes no notice. 



The two former ones of thefe have the greateft affinity, 



inafmuch as they both produce for the molt part only one 



flower, of a white colour, having a very fhort nectary, 



edged wiih orange ; to both of thefe Lin nous's fpecific 



description is equally applicable, as well as the trivial name 



of poeticus, given them indiscriminately by feveral of the 



old Botanifts, fome regarding the firft, fome the fecond, 



as the plant mentioned by Theocritus*, Virgil +, and 



Ovid J; unfortunately both of them are found to grow in 



the fame meadows, and have the fame obvious appearances, 



it is therefore utterly impoflible to fay which of the two was 



the Narciffus of the poets ; if we have the greateft difficulty 



in afcertaining what the plants were of the Botanifts of thofe 



times, how are we to difcover what the Poets meant, who 



with very few exceptions have been unpardonably inattentive 



to the appearances of nature. Since then the term poeticus 



is equally fuitable to both, and as there cannot be two plants 



with the fame name, we have thought it beft to get rid of it 



altogether, and fubftitute others which tend in a certain, 



degree to difcriminate the feveral fpecics, donominating the 



lft. anguftifolius. 



2d. majalis. 



3d. b 1 floras. 



The anguftifolius here figured is a native of the South of 

 Europe, and faid by Magnol and Clusius to grow fponta- 

 neoufly in the meadows about Narbonne and Montpelier. 



It flowers in our gardens early in April, about a month 

 before the bifiorus, and full fix weeks fooner than the majalis, 

 increafes readily by offsets, and fucceeds beft in a foil that 

 is moderately moifh In what refpe&s it differs from the two 

 others, will be mentioned when they come to be figured. 



* Florida fed poftquam venere in prata puellas, 



His ilia, hsc aliis fe fioribus oble&abant ; 



Narcifib ilia quidem bene olente, atq ; ilia Hyacintlio, 

 t Pro molli Viola, pro purpureo Narcifib, 



Carduus et fpinis furgit Paliurus acutis. 

 + Nufquam corpus erat, croceum pro corpore florem 



Inveniunt, foliis medium cingentibus albis. 



