90 Wild Flozvers of Lower Canada 



smile on his face, nor on the faces of his children. For 

 generations their character has undergone no change, their 

 cheerfulness and primitive simplicity have been equally en- 

 during. Truly it is pleasant to study the sunshine of the 

 human heart, which beams out on these rugged spots of 

 Nature's handiwork. 



THE WILD FLOWERS OF LOWER CANADA. 



The quantity of wild flowers to be found in. the environs 

 of Quebec, rich in perfume and wild beauty, are a miniature 

 collection of the genera distributed through the Lower Pro- 

 vince generally. They have been so ably dwelt on in works 

 more especially devoted to the natural history of the Province, 

 that we could not do Nature justice by enumerating them 

 here ; but we quote from that pleasant writer, Mr. Lemoine, 

 the following: "A stranger," says he, "landing in this country 

 is much surprised to find the flowers which he has carefully 

 cultivated in his garden at home growing wild at his feet ; 

 such as Dog-tooth Violets, Trilliums, and Columbines ; — the 

 Trillium, for which I paid three shillings and sixpence when 

 in England, positively growing wild. I could scarcely believe 

 that I had a right to gather it ; having paid so much for one, 

 I felt that it was property, valuable property, running wild." 

 After the Purple Trillium has done flowering we have the 

 Painted Trillium in the woods : the Trillium grandijiorum is 

 abundant at Grosse Isle. The spotted leaves and the bright 

 yellow flowers of the Dog-tooth Violet, fully recurved in the 

 sunshine, contrast beautifully with the fresh green grass of 

 the banks on which they are usually found. The Smilacina 

 bifoliay sometimes erroneously called the White Lily of the 



