NOVEMBER. 39 



A good one should be of clear and distinct colors, 

 with its clusters of flowers blossoming at the same 

 time, and all supported by upright and firm stalks. 

 The Cyprus Narcissus, a variety of the Polyanthus 

 Narcissus, is very double, the exterior leaves white, the 

 interior some white, some orange : it is considered 

 a handsome variety, and is of an agreeable odor. 

 The double Italian Narcissus, imported from Italy, 

 is most fragrant. 



The poetical Narcissus is very beautiful, with fine 

 snow-white petals, and a yellow cup, fringed with 

 bright purple or pink. This is termed poetical, being 

 celebrated in verse as the subject of another whim- 

 sical metamorphosis. 



Poor Hyacinth was killed by a quoit, but the fool- 

 ish Narcissus, it seems, died for love, not of some 

 beautiful nymph or blooming maid, but of his own 

 sweet person, or rather of its shadow in the water. 

 The nymphs, they say, who admired his beauty, 

 though not quite as much as he himself did, intended 

 him a merry wake ; but when they came for the 

 corpse in all form, they could find nothing but another 

 mighty pretty flower drooping its lovely head, as he 

 was wont to do, over the same fountain aye, and 

 at the same spot too, which put the matter beyond 

 all dispute ; and the only difficulty now remaining is, 

 that the poet, as my friend assures me, said the flower 

 into which the deceased was changed, was yellow, 

 and to prove this, has sent me the following quota- 

 tion : 



" Instead whereof a yellow flower was found, 

 With tufts of white about the button crown'd." 



Whereas the modern florists declare it to be white ; 

 and I should be inclined to back the florists. In 

 justice to the poet, however, I must admit that the 



