INTRODUCTION. 27 
inexhaustible source of delight and instruction. 
By a charming art these beautiful productions 
of nature are converted into liquid perfumes, 
precious essences, or valuable conserves. One 
of the most delightful accomplishments that 
can be chosen for the fair sex is that of catching 
the transient shades of beauty which are found 
upon flowers, and fixing them on paper. The 
able pencil shows to us the queen of spring 
with her spherical form, her delicate colours, 
the beautiful green of her foliage, the thorns 
which protect her, the dew-drops which bathe 
her, and the butterfly which skims lightly over 
her beautiful form. “ The beauty and grace 
that may be displayed in grouping flowers, 
united with the gaiety of their colours, and the 
harmony of their tints, are objects well worthy 
the attention of those who were born to render 
life delightful.” Nothing is forgotten in de- 
picting them; and when we look upon the 
faithful representative, even in the depths of 
winter, we may fancy that we inhale the per- 
fumes of spring. This study, in imparting a 
taste for all that is beautiful in nature, fills the 


—Soes 
Se 

