NATURE NEAR LONDON 



needles on the tip, are now clothed in fresh green. 

 On the bank there is a flower which is often 

 gathered for the forget-me-not, and is not unlike 

 it at the first glance ; but if the two be placed side 

 by side, this, the scorpion grass, is but a pale 

 imitation of the true plant ; its petals vary in 

 colour and are often dull, and it has not the yellow 

 central spot. Yet it is not unfrequently sold in 

 pots in the shops as forget-me-not. It flowers on 

 the bank, high above the water of the ditch. 



The true forget-me-not can hardly be seen in 

 passing, so much does it nestle under flags and 

 behind sedges, and it is not easy to gather because 

 it flowers on the very verge of the running stream. 

 The shore is bordered with matted vegetation, 

 aquatic grass, and flags and weeds, and outside 

 these, where its leaves are washed and purified by 

 the clear stream, its blue petals open. Be cautious, 

 therefore, in reaching for the forget-me-not, lest 

 the bank be treacherous. 



It was near this copse that in early spring I 

 stayed to gather some white sweet violets, for the 

 true wild violet is very nearly white. I stood close 

 to a hedger and ditcher, who, standing on a board, 

 was cleaning out the mud that the water might run 

 freely. He went on with his work, taking not the 

 least notice of an idler, but intent upon his labour, 

 as a good and true man should be. But when I 

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