OF THE NYMPH-EA. 261 



many crowded leaves about as broad as those of a lily. 

 These leaves at sunset fold themselves together, cover- 

 ing the head (or seed-vessel). At sun-rise they expand, 

 and rise above the water. This they continue till the 

 head is perfected, and the flowers fall oftV So far 

 Theophrastus writes as of his own knowledge ; he con- 

 tinues as follows ; " It is reported that in the Euphrates 

 the head and flowers keep sinking till midnight, when 

 they are so deep in the water as to be out of reach of 

 the hand, but towards morning they return, and still 

 more as the day advances. At sun-rise they are already 

 above the surface, with the flower expanded ; afterwards 

 they rise high above the water." Pliny repeats the 

 same account ; and Prosper Alpinus, whose purpose is 

 to prove the Lotus of Theophrastus not different from 

 the common Nymplwa, in which, as far as genus is 

 concerned, he is correct, has the following remarkable 

 passage : " The celebrated stories of the Lotus turning 

 to the sun, closing its flowers and sinking under w-ater at 

 night, and rising again in the morning, are conformable 

 to what every body has observed in the Nymphcea.'''' 



I have been the more particular in the above quota- 

 tions,because ihe veracity of Theophrastus has lately been 

 somewhat rudely impeached, on very questionable au- 

 thority. For my own part, I think what we see of the 

 Nymphcea in England is sufficient to render the above ac- 

 count highly probable in a country where the sun has so 

 much more power, even if it did not come from the most 

 faithful and philosophical botanist of antiquity, and I have 

 always with confidence cited it on his authority. The 

 reader, ho\A'ever, will perceive that the only important 



