184 LILY-PONDS. 



laden with the perfume of violets hover round him and 

 fan him with their wings. Among these scenes, how 

 beautiful are the shadows that rest upon the silvery pond, 

 and how musical the sounds that come up mysteriously 

 from the woods and dingles ! 



Our lily-ponds, for the most part, are surrounded by 

 hills, that form a basin for their waters, and become the 

 principal source of their replenishment. Not in the 

 deep waters, however, nor under the steep banks, but 

 in the shallows, near the outlet, do the water-lilies con- 

 gregate, fixing their roots in the alluvium, and extending 

 their long stems upward to the length required for raising 

 the bud to the water's brink. As soon as it has gained 

 this height it is ready to become a flower, which expands 

 about the third hour after sunrise, and remains open until 

 the shadows of the woods are cast upon it in the after- 

 noon. If at any hour the sky should be overcast with 

 clouds, the flowers close their petals, yielding their honors 

 to the more homely yellow lily, the pontederia, and the 

 nodding sarracenia upon the shore. All the seasons have 

 garnered around these waters a portion of their stores ; 

 and both to the naturalist, who studies the character and 

 habits of animate and inanimate objects, and to him who 

 chiefly observes nature's beautiful aspects, the lily-pond 

 is a page written over and over with myriads of lines, 

 letters, and pictures, without confusion, and perfectly legi- 

 ble to those who, spurning the pleasures of a luxurious 

 life, resort here to live nearer to nature and to happiness. 



