FRITILLARIES 131 



unexpanded state the blossom, which is then nearly 

 erect, bears a striking resemblance to the shape and 

 attitude of a snake's head. 



On the other hand, in favour of the indigenous nature 

 of Fritillaria meleagris, L., it must be remembered that 

 its geographical distribution in Europe would lead us to 

 expect its presence in Great Britain, while the appear- 

 ance of the plant in such localities as Christ Church 

 meadows and at Strathfieldsaye have every indica- 

 tion of true nativity. Moreover, it is not confined 

 to one or two habitats only in the valley of the 

 Thames and of its tributaries ; the plant is now 

 recorded in The London Catalogue for no less than 

 seventeen counties. 



As so often happens, the beauty of the plant has 

 tended to its extinction. In many localities it has 

 been entirely eradicated through the baneful habit 

 of transplanting wild species into gardens. In 

 former years it was to be found in Hampshire, near 

 the town of Bishop's Waltham, where the children 

 were accustomed to gather it for their May Day 

 garlands, but it has now completely disappeared. In 

 Essex, too, in a damp meadow just beyond the 

 village of Steeple Bumpstead, it was once to be seen 

 in considerable plenty, but not a plant, I believe, 

 now remains. 



In the Strathfieldsaye locality the white and the 

 purple varieties seem to occur equally, and it is 

 difficult to say which is the more beautiful. This 

 variation in colour is characteristic of the species 

 and is generally found wherever the plant grows in 

 any abundance. It is so in the neighbourhood of 

 Oxford, as we are reminded in the lines of Matthew 



