EPEEIES. 51 
The principal mention of the Lily in Scripture, is 
in Canticles, where Solomon frequently uses it as 
conveying the impression of great beauty and love- 
liness. 
There are many flowers to which the name of Lily is 
applied, between some of which there seems to be 
but little resemblance. Among these, perhaps there 
is none more beautiful, and certainly none more won- 
derful, than the Victoria Regia, or the Great Water 
Lily. No description of this remarkable plant can 
convey to the reader any adequate idea of its singu- 
lar beauty. It stands alone among its tribe as Queen 
of the Waters, nothing having yet been discovered 
which can compare with it. (See Frontispiece.) 
This plant, although known to naturalists as early 
as 1822, was not introduced into England until about 
the year 1846, when seeds were taken thither by 
Thomas Bridges, a collector of curious plants in South 
America. We extract the following narrative from 
the published account of his discovery. 
“During my stay at the Indian town of Santa 
Ana, in the province of Moxos, republic of Bolivia, 
during the summer of 1845, I made daily shooting 
excursions in the vicinity. In one of these I had 
the good fortune, whilst riding along the woody banks 
of the river Yacuma, one of the tributary rivers of 
the Mamoré, to come suddenly on a beautiful pond, 
or rather small lake, embosomed in the forest, where, 
to my delight and astonishment, I discovered for the 
first time, the Queen of Aquatics, the Victoria Regia! 
There were at least fifty flowers in view, and Belzoni 
