Nat. Ord. Iridace-i:. 



LARGE BLUE FLAG. 



Iris Versicolor. Fleur -de-lace. 



Lilies of all kinds, 



The fleur-de-luce bein^ one. 



Winter's Tale. 



iniS beautiful flower, the blue Iris, which forms the right hand 

 figure in the group of Moccasin flowers, abounds all 

 M^ through Canada, and forms one of the ornaments of our 



<%^ low sandy flats, marshy meadows and over-flowed lake 



shores ; it delights in wet muddy soil, and often forms large clumps 

 of verdure in half-dried up ponds and similar localities. Early in 

 spring, as soon as the sun has warmed the waters after the melting 

 of the ice, the sharp sword-shaped leaves escaping from the sheltering 

 sheath that enfolded them, pierce the moist ground, and appear, 

 forming beds of brilliant verdure, concealing the swampy soil and 

 pools of stagnant water below. Late in the month of June the 

 bursting buds of rich purple begin to unfold, peeping through the 

 spathe that envelopes them. A few days of sunshine, and the 

 o-raceful petals, so soft and silken in texture, so variable in shades of 

 colour, unfold : the three outer ones reflexed, droop gracefully 

 downwards, while the three innermost, which are of paler tint, 



