WHITE AND GREENISH WILD FLOWERS 



that every flower possesses a soul, and that the Water 

 Lily sits in solemn judgment at the gates of Paradise, 

 demanding of each blossom a strict accounting as to 

 the disposition made of its odour. Along some parts 

 of the Rhine the natives chant magic verses while 

 gathering Water Lilies, which, they believe, will keep 

 away witches. A pretty Lenape Indian legend records 

 the origin of the flower in a falling star that upon strik- 

 ing the water changed into a Water Lily. The Water 

 Nymph gets its name from Nympha, a nature god- 

 dess of Greek and Roman mythology. This wonder- 

 ful family includes the gigantic Royal Water Lily, 

 Victoria regia, of Brazil, which has the largest flower 

 in the world, and was named by Dr. Lindley in honour 

 of Queen Victoria in 1837. Some of these flowers 

 measure a foot and a half in diameter, and their mon- 

 strous leaves are often six or seven feet broad and are 

 capable of bearing the weight of a man standing 

 thereon. Thoreau regarded the White Water Lily as 

 "the queen of river flowers." He might have gone 

 further and said, "queen of our waters," for few 

 flowers are held in higher esteem. They seem to lend 

 a sort of lasting enchantment to every outing, brief 

 or extended, and almost everybody can associate one 

 or more pleasant memories with them. How I have 

 enjoyed the precious moments on several occasions 

 when it was my privilege to watch the deer feeding 

 on the "lily pads" near our Adirondack camp! No 

 other experience in outdoor life can compare favourably 

 with it: the Water Lilies studding the thickly padded 



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