THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



239 



graceful in its effect among the sedges and 

 rushes. 



What a bright bit of colour the yellow flower 

 of the iris, or yellow water-flag, presents on the 

 summit of its sword-shaped, glossy green leaf- 

 stems ; while in the quiet pools beneath it, the 

 beautiful white and yellow water-lilies sleep away 

 the lazy day, and close their flowers and sink 

 under the surface of the water as the gloaming 

 deepens. A liliecl bay of a large lake is a very 

 lovely sight, both when the lilies expand their 

 largest and shine their brightest on the mirror-like 

 water in the blaze of a summer's noonday sun, or 

 when they dance merrily on the wavelets, when 

 the north-west wind blows, and the large leaves 

 curl over and expose their grey under-sides. 

 The black coots and water-hens paddle about 

 through the snow-white lilies, and are capital 

 foils to their loveliness and simplicity. We arc 

 very fond of the aroma of the water-lily, but wo 

 have met people who much dislike it. It is well 

 to drop one's float in the spaces between the lily 

 leaves, for big fish often take shelter under the 

 broad leaves from the glare of the sun. Side by 

 side with the water-lilies is often seen a pretty 

 and showy plant with a dense egg-shaped spike 

 of pink flowers rising above the water, on which 

 the lanceolate leaves repose. This plant rejoices 

 in the long name of amphibious persicaria. It is 

 very common in the Shropshire meres. Very 



