The Narcissus. 167 



To the cold shades his flitting ghost retires, 



And in the Stygian wave itself admires, 



For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn, 



"Whom the sad Echo answers in her turn ; 



And now the sister nymphs prepare his urn, 



When looking for his corpse, they only found 



A rising stalk with yellow blossoms crowned. Addison's Otid. 



On this account the flower retains the name of Narcissus in all 

 the enlightened nations of Europe, though some etymologist de- 

 rived the word from the Greek, narfee, signifying stupor, from its 

 narcotic quality. The Poet's Narcissus produces but one flower 

 on a stalk, which inclines to one side, and takes a horizontal 

 position. The corolla is of a pure white, and expands quite 

 flat, the petals being rounded at the joints ; the cup or nectary in 

 the centre is very short, and fringed on the border with a bright 

 purple circle ; sometimes this flower is found with a crimson 

 edge to the nectary, and we occasionally meet them with two 

 flowers issuing from one spathe. They flower in England, from 

 the middle of April to the end of May ; somewhat later, of 

 course, with ourselves, and have a very agreeable and sweet per- 

 fume. The double white Narcissus, a variety of the poet's 

 flower, is generally esteemed, either in the garden or when planted 

 in pots for the house, and but few flowers are better cultivated to 

 fill the vase of the saloon or ornament the epergne for the dinner 

 table. The Polyanthus Narcissus is so called, on account of its 

 producing many flowers on one stalk. The generic name of 

 this species, Tazetta, is from the Italian, and signifies a little cup, 

 given on account of the smallness of its nectary. It is a native 

 of the East, and some say also of the southern parts of Europe. 

 The Chinese call it the Shuey seen for, and it is used by them 

 for religious purposes at the New Year. These bulbs are sent 

 every year from Chinchew, being only kept in Canton during 

 the time of their flowering. They are planted in pots, made to 

 retain water, filled with sand or small stones. It is a valuable 

 flowering bulb, both on account of the early season at which it 

 blossoms, and the numerous flowers it gives out from one stalk, 

 as well as for its agreeable odor ; on this account the florists in 

 Europe have taken great pains in improving it by cultivation, 

 and raising numeroas varieties of it from seed. The bulbs 

 should be planted in October, in good fresh earth, of rather a 

 light loamy nature, with a small portion of sand well mixed with 



