tbe Stufcs of Natural Scenery 25 



conditions of growth and development are so generous. 

 On the river shore the iris the Flor de Luce of old is 

 found in its highest beauty. Here the vermilion cardinal- 

 flower luxuriates among the grass ; forget-me-nots, butter- 

 cups and ox-eye daisies grow in harmony among meadow- 

 sweets and other familiar flowers ; many forms of marsh 

 plants are generally found in moist places on the shores of 

 lakes and rivers. Where the water forms deep, shallow 

 bays we find the water lily, and nearer the shore, water 

 violet, arrowhead, and water anemone ; the first two 



FIG. 6.-BROOK. 



growing singly, the last one forming carpets of floating 

 leaves and pretty, white, yellow-eyed flowers. ' Alders, 

 birch, and willows are the most familiar trees on the shores 

 of lowland rivers and lakes. When a river has reached the 

 level of the sea, it becomes subject to tidal changes, and 

 unless the shores are covered with pebbles and sand, they 

 are often slimy and unsightly. Here again the w T oody 

 vegetation becomes scarcer and assumes the grayish tint 

 peculiar to maritime plants ; but very often the shores and 

 deltas of the river form moist, velvety meadows, which 



