Nat. Ord. Iiudace.®. 
Iris Versicolor . Fleur-de-luce. 
Lilies of all kinds, 
Tlie fleur-de-lnce being one. 
Winter’s Tale. 
r [S beautiful flower, the blue Iris, which forms the left hand 
figure in the group of Moccasin flowers, abounds all 
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 
graceful 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, 
