SWEET SCENTED WATER LILY. 135 
The Nymphea’ odorata, the finest of the 
northern species; grows abundantly in most 
parts of the United States, about the edges of 
rivers and ponds, where the water is more than 4 
foot in depth. It is one of the largest of our 
native flowers, and though it has often been 
represented as inferior, in size, to the water lily 
of Europe, lam sure that this comparison can 
only have resulted from the inspection of culti- 
vated specimens. The annexed drawing was 
made from a full grown and fully expanded 
specimen, and is actually smaller than the flower 
from which it was taken. 
Every angler is familiar with the leaves and 
stems of this plant, which, with a few similar 
aquatics, forms floating beds about the edges of 
deep fresh waters, affording to the fish a favourite 
shelter from the light ; and often rendering them 
more éssential service, by entangling the hooks 
and lines of their pursuers. | 
The roots of this plant creep through the 
muddy bottoms of ponds to a great extent. They 
are very rough, knotted, blackish, and as large as 
a man’s arm. ‘The porous:stalks, which proceed 
from these, are bouyed up by the quantity of air 
they contain, and continue to be elongated till 
they reach the surface of the water, which is 
