74 LETTERS TO MARCO xn 



and rain. The crown imperial and fritil- 

 laries in general, the snowdrops, the daffodil, 

 and most of the early blooming lilies are 

 examples of this ; but as the seed-heads ripen 

 they straighten themselves up, and in this 

 position get more warmth and light. All 

 these seed -heads have great character, re- 

 minding one of the beauties of Gothic archi- 

 tecture, and resembling knights' maces, or 

 beautiful vases or chalices with quaint lids to 

 them. The crown imperial seed-case, which 

 is the exact counterpart of a mace, will 

 straighten out and up until it surmounts the 

 tuft of green leaves that crests the bloom, 

 which would otherwise shade and render its 

 ripening difficult. The packing of the seeds 

 within these cases is equally beautiful in 

 arrangement, and differs greatly according to 

 the character and shape of the seed. 



The seed -cases of the larger division of 

 plants which are not lilies are likewise infin- 

 itely various, and many of great beauty and 

 picturesqueness. The violet, for instance, 



