The T>og-Tooth Violet 



THE DOG-TOOTH VIOLET 



The dainty little trout lilies, better known as 

 " dog-tooth violets," or '' yellow adder's tongues," 

 are among the first spring blossoms, blooming 

 before the foliage is dense enough to shut out their 

 beloved sunlight, which they are always turning on 

 their stalks to follow. At night they fold their 

 petals and sleep to avoid the darkness. 



The drooping position of the bells compels the 

 small butterflies and bees that befriend these violets 

 to cling so closely to the style and stamens to avoid 

 falling, while they sip their nectar, that they cannot 

 fail both to receive and bestow pollen. It serves 

 another purpose also, protecting the flowers from 

 thievish ants, who are always thirsty for honey, but 

 incapable of making the blossoms any return for 

 their sweets. Even though they succeed in ascend- 

 ing the slippery stalk, they are sure to get a tumble 

 when they try to round the curve to reach the 

 flower itself. 



Thus all the wonderful and fascinating attributes 

 of the Lily family have been evolved, not merely to 

 add to their beauty, but in obedience to the same 

 law of co-operation that governs the rest of the 

 plant world. As Henry Drummond says: ''The 

 loveliness, the variegations of shade and tint, the 



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