APRIL 47 



as the pleasantest month for the Canterbury pilgrims ; 

 the month in which * longen folk to go on pilgrimage.' 

 Spenser described it as 



' Garnished with garlands goodly dight 

 Of all the fairest flowers and freshest buds 

 Which the earth brings forth.' 



And though Shakespeare called it 'spongy April,' ho 

 also called it 'well-apparelled April/ and 'proud-pied 

 April,' and it is indeed so rich in flowers that it is not 

 easy to select one which demands more attention than 

 others ; but in my garden the Fritillaries are a chief 

 ornament in April, and a great delight. I know that 

 they are capricious, and in some gardens they will not 

 grow at all, but here they are quite hardy, and being let 

 alone they increase freely both by their roots and seeds. 

 There are a very large number of species (more than 

 fifty, besides varieties), and I believe they may all be 

 considered hardy, at least in the south of England, and 

 are all well worth growing ; but I can only find space 

 for two, which, though the most old-fashioned, are, as 

 I think, the most beautiful. First, there is our own 

 native fritillary ; and its popularity is shown by its 

 many English names such as, death bell, dead man's 

 bell, chequered daffodil, lily, or tulip, drooping tulip, 

 guinea-hen flower, turkey-hen flower, snake's flower, 



