MAECH. 35 



It is still more abundant in the April woods 

 than now; and though frail when gathered, 

 and dying quickly, yet it continues in bloom 

 during a longer period than many other flowers. 

 The blossom of the wood anemone is white and 

 star-shaped, and its stem has about its middle, 

 three dark smooth green leaves, of a very beau- 

 tiful form, with the veins tinged with crimson. 

 This flower is poisonous to cattle, and, if bruised, 

 will raise a blister on the skin. 



The daff'odil (Narcissus pseudo narcissus) 

 blooms in Islarch, not only in gardens, but also 

 in a few moist woods, and in meadows watered 

 by streams. This flower, though admired by 

 us chiefly for its early appearance, was a great 

 favourite wth the old poets ; and it was one of 

 the flowers, called by Spenser, IMichael Drayton, 

 and other early writers, by the name of " lily." 

 The poets' narcissus, also, (Narcissi/s poefici(S,j 

 grows wild in some sandy fields of England, 

 especially in Kent and Norfolk, but does not 

 flower till ^lay. Its colour is pure white ; in 

 former days it was called "primrose peerless." 

 It is the flower so celebrated by tlie ancient 

 Greek writers. 



The scent of both these, as well as of every 

 other species of narcissus, is strong and delete- 

 rious. In Holland, where this flower, as well 

 as many others, receives a great degree of atten- 

 tion, some of tbe more delicate species of the 

 narcissus tribe are cultivated in rooms, and the 

 odour from these rooms is a frecpient ckusc of 

 sickness. This scent is probably more powerful 



