ALONG THE WATERWAYS 37 



does not take a lake or mighty river to exert a 

 quickening influence over miles of lowlands, either 

 by spring overflow, or by the penetration of slug- 

 gish outlets and minute tributaries. 



The waterways work with a bold brush in flower- 

 painting, and from earliest spring until late autumn 

 the primary colors, yellow, blue, and red, flow from 

 it. The first strongly yellow flower is the Marsh 

 Marigold, which gilds the swamps before the Dan- 

 delion holds its field of the cloth of gold in pastures. 

 At this season of overflows, the near approach to 

 stream and river is difficult; but the Marsh Mari- 

 gold can be seen afar, and consequently is the first 

 bright color of the landscape. 



Blue, tinting to purple, a royal color, comes next. 

 New England may have rejected kings and heraldry 

 long ago, but she still wears freely every May Fleur- 

 de-Lys azure in or, on a green field; for the large 

 Blue Flag, or Iris versicolor, flocks in crowds at 

 every muddy river -edge, and spreads its regal mantle 

 over the marshy fields. It is a peerless flower seen 

 in its haunt when the sun shines clear. To look 

 down among these violet -blue flowers, touched with 

 white and gold, and veined with deep -cut purple, 

 to watch the shadows of the deep green sword - 

 shaped leaves quiver across them, while a trans- 



