82 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



but when this formidable rival is out of the way, the golden 

 Nupkar reigns supreme in the midst of her graceful sur- 

 roundings. 



The yellow water-lily is very commonly distributed 

 throughout Britain. It begins to flower as the haymakers 

 are in the meadows, and continues in blossom all through 

 the summer. It should be looked for in lakes or slowly- 

 running streams, and it may be found, too, in canals, the 

 locking arrangements giving just the conditions both the 

 white and yellow water-lilies like, either swiftly-moving 

 waters or stagnation being equally unfavourable to their 

 well-being. 



As we were, on a certain occasion, plodding along a 

 country road, knapsack on back, we came to a little bridge, 

 and found that a small stream ran beneath the roadway, and 

 we well remember what a picture at once met our delighted 

 eyes. Instead of the straight white road and its high and 

 dusty hedges on either hand, we looked up stream, and 

 saw the clear and gently-moving river running between 

 high grassy banks. These were clothed with ash and other 

 trees that met overhead and soon shut out our view of the 

 streamlet's course, but as far as we could track it it was 

 profusely covered with the broad leaves of the yellow 

 water-lily, arid scores of the golden blossoms lighted up the 

 verdant shade made by the overhanging trees. The 

 particular flowers we have figured in our sketch came from 

 a still more interesting locality. Our readers must picture 

 to themselves a stream only navigable by one's almost lying 

 down full length in the boat to escape the far-reaching 

 branches of the trees that fringe its banks ; in places so 

 deep that the pole finds no bottom and we can then but 

 drift, for rowing is out of the question in this tangled mass 



