200 WATER GARDENING 



in the bay behind them, form quite a sub -tropical 

 group, and make the native waterhen, itself a smart 

 little bird, look quite dingy and insignificant by com- 

 parison. 1 



XLVIII 



On the subject of these Marliac hybrid water-lilies 

 water we nave na( i long enough experience of them 

 Gardening now to p ronounce them an important supple- 

 ment to our hardy flora. Personally, I am of Perdita's 

 mind, and prefer natural species to showy hybrids 

 'nature's bastards' and none of these glowing or 

 faintly tinted novelties exceed in beauty the common 

 white water-lily, although some of them do so in size. 

 But human fancy ' taste,' as we fondly call it in matters 

 aesthetic is capricious above all things. If the normal 

 colour of a flower is pink, like heather, then we search 

 diligently till we find an abnormal specimen with white 

 flowers, and it does not seem to occur to us how dull 

 the Highland hills would be if, at this season, instead of 

 glowing with purple and rose, they were sheeted with 

 white heather. So, although Nature has bestowed upon 

 us our native water-lily, matchless in purity of hue and 

 refinement of sculpture, we rest not till we have stained 



1 The subsequent fate of this pair of Porphyrio was grievous. 

 After a happy summer-tide spent in the sanctuary, they seemed to 

 scent the harvest fields beyond the woods. They flew out to the 

 stubbles, and there they were malignantly catapulted to death by 

 sohool-boys. I am thinking of consulting my solicitors whether there 

 is anything in the Statute Book to prevent me turning a selection of 

 she-bears into the woods for the repression of these school-boys. It is 

 not on record that any proceedings were taken against Elisha. 



