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or more, and when the thaw comes go on 

 with their blooming as if nothing had hap- 

 pened. The snowdrop and the crocus do not 

 show so suddenly as the aconite, there is little 

 to be seen of them but a tiny streak of white 

 or yellow between their narrow leaves for 

 days after the flower is really above the 

 ground, whereas the aconite will thrust its 

 loop through the earth on one fine morning 

 and turn up its pretty yellow globe and green 

 frill the next almost like a conjuring trick. 



A Mezereon has been in bloom for some 

 time, it is a small shrub with pinky lilac 

 blossoms, somewhat like those of the peach, 

 which are close to the stem, and come out 

 almost before the plant has finished shedding 

 its last year's leaves ; the flowers have an 

 exquisite perfume. In the summer the stems 

 are covered with bright red berries which 

 look very pretty amidst the extremely neat 

 and dainty foliage. I have been told that 

 there is a white-flowered Mezereon which 

 is even still more beautiful, but I have not 



