142 FIRST STEPS IK GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. 



Mary had heard her mamma call the white water- 

 lily the queen of British flowers, and she now 

 learnt that in botanical language it is named after 

 the water-nymphs which were fabled to inhabit 

 streams. Both the white water-lily* and the 



THE WHITE WATEE-LILY. 



yellow water-lilyf grew in a slow-running river 

 not far from her home, and she naturally thought 

 them the most beautiful of all water plants ; but 

 her father now told her that in South America 

 * Nymphsea alba. t Nuphar lutea. 



