THE FIRST DAFFODIL. 87 



family, to which the daffodil belongs, we got the same 

 sort of tendency carried a little further. Instead of 

 having only one row of three stamens, the members 

 of this group have two rows, thus making a total of 

 six for, though no mathematician, I will fearlessly 

 venture upon so much arithmetic as that. In the 

 simpler amaryllids, such as the snowdrop, the con- 

 fusion goes no further than this single step ; and we 

 get, first, a three-celled pistil in the centre ; next, six 

 stamens in two rows outside it; then three small 

 green- veined petals; and last of all, three large pure 

 white sepals. Here the original three-fold symmetry 

 is hardly at all masked by the occurrence of a double 

 set of stamens ; while the petals and sepals are quite 

 separate down to their very base, without any sign of 

 union or coalescence. I don't say they never have 

 been united ; indeed, I have certain grave doubts of 

 my own upon that head, connected with what 

 botanists call their inferior ovary ; but Fm not going 

 to mention that point to-day, lest I should tell you 

 too much about them all at once, and so spin out my 

 paper to an unconscionable length. For the present, 

 ifc must suffice to notice that we still possess amaryllid 

 flowers in which the primitive arrangement by threes 

 is even now distinctly visible. 



The daffodil, however, has got beyond this early 

 stage, and has undergone so very much modification 

 that its primitive aspect is almost entirely masked by 

 its acquired traits. When I slice across its ovary, or 

 embryo fruit, it is true, I can see that it still consists 



