284 AMABYLLIDACE^. 



" The Snowdrop is the herald of the flowers, 

 Sent with its small white flag of truce to plead 

 For its beleaguered brethren. Suppliantly 

 It prays stern Winter to withdraw his troop 

 Of wild and blustering storms; and having won 

 A smile of promise from his pitying face, 

 Returns to tell the issue of its errand 

 To the expectant host." 



Every one hails the Snowdrop with delight. The weary 

 winter is passed, and its stern hand has bowed down many a 

 beloved head whose hope of health is dependant on the coming 

 of spring. A few of these pale blossoms carried to the sick bed, 

 or placed beside the worn invalid, bring with them fresh hopes 

 of new-sprung courage. Children rejoice in the white buds, 

 and in their rapid sanguine nature feel that hosts of bright 

 flowers will be open on the morrow, for that the spring has 

 come indeed. There is a legend of the Snowdrop, a merely 

 fanciful one, but very pretty. It describes the wonder and 

 grief of Eve at first seeing a snow storm ; an angel comes to 

 comfort her, assures her that spring will return again, and 

 catching some flakes of snow he turns them into flowers, as a 

 pledge of the truth of his promise. 



" The angel's visit being ended, 

 Up to Heaven he flew ; 

 But where he first descended, 

 And where he bade the earth adieu, 

 A ring of Snowdrops formed a posy 

 Of pallid flowers, whose leaves, unrosy, 

 Waved like a winged argosy, 

 Whose climbing mast above the sea, 

 Spread fluttering sail and streamer free." 



There is still one family left for us to consider the Snow- 

 flake family. 



We have only one British species, the Summer Snowflake 

 (Leucojum sestivum). It closely resembles the Snowdrop, but 

 its stem is taller, and bears several flowers in a cluster, and the 

 sword-shaped leaf is bright green, not glaucous. My specimen 

 was gathered beside the Dever, in Wilts, but I am not certain 



