45 
small wood of larches, where a noble beech-tree 
drooped gracefully its branches, and we stood awhile 
beneath it, gazing on the beautiful prospect around, 
till the eye, dazzled by the strong sunlight, turned 
to the refreshing green beneath. There we saw the 
bank studded with Violets, sending forth “ the sweetest 
incense of the early spring.” Here 
“ The Violet of sky-woven vest,” 
and the “ pale Violet,” of “ dejected hue,” mingled 
their beauty and fragrance. We could not allow their 
loveliness to pass unremembered, and the pencil has 
preserved their linéaments in the accompanying sketch. 
It is the delightful perfume that the Violet sheds 
around which renders it so universal a favourite. But 
this odoriferous quality has cast a stain upon its 
réputation. <c Dangerous symptoms hâve occurred in 
persons with weak nerves, by their merely remaining 
in a room where these flowers hâve been placed. It 
is curious to observe the various influences the scent 
emitted by many flowers hâve on the nerves of different 
persons.”* We hâve heard of a lady who fainted if 
she sat many minutes in a room where there might 
Descriptive and Physiological Botany. 
