Lent Lilies
A botanist, struck by the frequent allusions to the wild daffodil, has made special journeys in search of it in many parts of England, and come to two conclusions. One is that the flower is rare ; the other that it is not a native plant. Neither conclusion is held dogmatically, but the arguments are strong. My own experience is that the chief homes of the Lent lily, doubtless the same as the Elizabethan Daffadown- dilly, are close up against houses. At this moment paddock after paddock in Hertfordshire is almost monopolized by the flower, but you will find no single specimen in remoter spinney or lane. Of course, it may be that the protection afforded by private fields has made the difference ; but it remains that this daffodil is usually found only in the mass and near houses on the East side of England.
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