64 
LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
There are several species of the Narcissus. 
That called the Poetic is the largest of the white 
kinds, and may be distinguished from all others by 
the crimson border of the very shallow and almost 
flat cup of the nectary. The double variety is the 
most frequent in gardens. The narrow-leafed crim¬ 
son-edged Narcissus is the only one that resembles 
the Poetic, but it is not much more than half as 
large, with narrower leaves, a flatter form, and the 
edge of the nectary more prominent. It flowers 
earlier than the other. 
The yellow Narcissus is better known by the 
name of Daffodil. By early writers this flower was 
considered as a species of lily. It has qven been 
conjectured that the name is a corruption of Dis’s 
Lily, as it is supposed to be the flower dropped from 
the chariot of Dis or Pluto, in his.flight with Pro¬ 
serpine. 
Shakspeare, in his Winter’s Tale, alludes to this 
story, as well as to the early season in which the 
Daffodil flowers : 
O Proserpina, 
For the flowers now that, frighted, thou lett’st fall 
From Dis’s wagon: Daffodils 
That come before the swallow dares, and take 
The winds of March with beauty. 
