1.How pleasant it is to stroll①along the lanes in early spring-time，and to find the lovely blue or white violets hiding in the grass by the roadside！Wild pansies，too，which are of the same family of plants，can be found in the fields and on the moors②during most of the summer.
2.The “sweet violet，”so famous③for its delightful smell，grows wild in the south of England chiefly；but the wild pansy can be found almost everywhere in the British Isles.In some places the pansy is better known under the name of “heart’s-ease.”In shape its flowers are very much like those of the violet，but they are purple and yellow in colour.
①Stroll，walk slowly；wander.
②Moors，tracts of land covered with heather.
③Famous，noted；well-known.
3.There is also a kind of violet called the “dog violet，”which has large blue flowers，but no perfume like that of the sweet violet.The dog violet is common all over the British Isles，and its flowers may be found all through the summer.
4.Now，just as there are wild animals and tame animals，so there are wild flowers and tame or cultivated flowers.Both the violet and the pansy have been “tamed”or cultivated for many years in our gardens.And these plantshave repaid①us for our care of them，byproducing larger and more beautiful flowers than the wild plants ever had.
5.Let us dig up one of these violet or pansyplants.If we wash the earth off the roots，weLEAF OF DOG VIOLET（犬堇菜的叶子）LEAF OF SWEET VIOLET（香堇菜的叶子）
shall see that，like the roots of most plants，they are pale brown in colour，or nearly white.This is because they grow beneath the ground，where the sun‘s light does not reach them.The green colour of plants is produced by the action of the sun’s light.Plants grown in the dark are white and unhealthy.
6.Sunlight is also necessary②for the proper growth of a plant.
The food which the roots draw from the soil，and the food which the leaves draw from the air，are changed by the action of light，and are made into starch③and other substances which build up the plant.We need not wonder，therefore，that plants spread out their leaves to get as much sunlight as they can.
①Repaid，paid back；rewarded.
②Necessary，needful.
③Starch，a white powdery substance which，when mixed with water，forms a paste for stiffening linen，etc.
7.Look at the curious shape of the flower.Do you see how it hangs on the end of a long flower-stalk，and how it always tries to face the sun？At the back of the flower are five small greenishsepals①；then come five brightly-coloured petals，blue or white in the violet，yellow or purple in the pansy.
The petals are of different shapes，and the lowest of them has a long，hollow spur.Inside the petals are fivelittle yellow dust-spikes，and in theVIOLET（紫罗兰）SECTION OF PART OF FLOWER
（花朵局部纵切面）
centre of the flower is the green vessel with ahooked top，which contains the young seeds.
8.The flowers of the sweet violet are rather small and darkly coloured，and they are not easily seen by insects.That is why the plant has such a sweet smell.It needs a strong perfume to attract the insects.
SUMMARY
Wild pansies are of the same family as violets.Violets and pansies when cultivated produce larger and more beautiful flowers than when growing wild.The roots are pale brown or nearly white in colour.The flower consists of five green sepals and five brightly-coloured petals.The lowest petal has a long hollow spur.There are five little yellow dust-spikes，and in the centre is the green seed-vessel with its hooked top.The sweet violet needs a strong perfume to attract insects，as its flower is small and of a dark colour，and not easily seen.
①Sepals，divisions or leaves of the calyx.
【中文阅读】
1．早春时分，漫步在乡间小路上，看向路边的草丛，当你发现藏身其中的蓝色或白色紫罗兰时，那些惹人喜爱的美丽花朵一定会让你感到欣喜万分！几乎整个夏季，无论是在田间还是在荒野之中，你都可以看到与紫罗兰同属一个家族的野生三色堇①。
2．以醉人的香味儿而大名鼎鼎的“香堇菜”主要野生在英格兰南部；但是大不列颠群岛各地几乎都能看到野生三色堇的身影。在有些地方，人们更习惯于把三色堇称为“心安草”。从形状上来说，它的花朵与紫罗兰非常相似，只是颜色呈紫色与黄色②。
3．还有一种紫罗兰名字叫做“犬堇菜”，它能够开出蓝色的大花，不过与香堇菜不同的是，它的花朵没有香味。犬堇菜在大不列颠群岛随处可见，整个夏季都绽放着美丽的花朵。
4．动物分为野生和驯养两类，同样，植物也有野生及栽培之分。许多年前，我们已经开始在自家的花园中栽培紫罗兰和三色堇了。而人们的精心照料也收获了不错的回报：与野生的同类植物相比，它们的花朵更大、更美丽。
5．让我们挖起一株紫罗兰或三色堇并仔细观察。把根部清洗干净，就会发现，与大多数植物一样，其根部为浅褐色或者近乎于白色。这是因为它生长在阳光无法照射到的地下。只有在阳光的照耀下，植物才会呈现出漂亮的绿色。生长在阴暗处的植物通常都只有病态的白色。
6．植物的正常生长同样需要阳光。根从土壤中汲取食物、叶子从空气中吸收养分，而它们正是通过阳光的作用才能够转化为构成植物本身的淀粉与其他物质。因此，我们看到的植物都会尽量伸展叶子，获得更多阳光。也就不足为奇了③。
7．注意观察花朵的奇怪形状。你有没有注意到，它究竟是如何悬挂在一根长长的中空花茎顶端，总是面向阳光的呢？花朵的背面长有五片很小的绿色萼片；然后就是五片颜色明亮的花瓣：紫罗兰是蓝色或白色，三色堇是黄色或紫色。花瓣的形状各不相同，其中位置最低的一个长有长长的中空突起。六个黄色的小雄蕊位于花瓣之中，而整个花朵的中间则是一根顶部呈钩型的绿色管状结构，幼嫩的种子就包裹在其中。
8．香堇菜的花朵不是很大，颜色较暗，所以昆虫很难发现。正因为如此，它们才会发散出如此甜香的味道，因为香味成为了它们吸引昆虫的有效手段。
译注
①根据《中国植物志》的记载，紫罗兰属于“十字花科紫罗兰属”，三色堇属于“堇菜科堇菜属”，亲缘关系不算近。在中国，紫罗兰和三色堇一般是公园里栽培的观赏植物。
②典型的三色堇，上面的花瓣呈现紫色，侧面和下面的花瓣都是紫、黄、白三色。
③前面的注释已经提到了光合作用。自然界中，植物为了争夺阳光，会进行非常残酷的生存竞争，只不过这种竞争的节奏，在人类眼里看起来比较慢而已。
THE PRICKLY HEDGEHOG