THE BOG. 163 



under the water some minutes, it remains perfectly 

 dry. This property helps to keep it afloat ; but 

 this is not all : the leaf and leaf-stem are not juicy, 

 like those of land-plants, but are composed of an 

 infinite number of cells, filled with air ; the stems 

 too are very long and flexible, so that, whether 

 the water rise or sink, the leaves always rest on 

 the surface. The lower leaves of this plant, as 

 well as those of the Water Crow-foot, are different 

 from the upper, being exceedingly long and narrow. 

 They never reach the surface, yet they are pre- 

 vented from lying at the bottom of the pond in 

 which they grow, by their cellular structure, re- 

 sembling in this respect the floating leaves. 



Several plants belonging to the genus Utricu- 

 laria, or Bladder-wort, are furnished exclusively 

 with leaves like the submersed leaves of the 

 " Water Crow-foot," no part of the plant rising 

 out of the water but the flower and its stalk. 

 Instead of having floating leaves, the root, stems, 

 and leaves are thickly beset with small bladders, 

 which, except during the flowering season, are 

 filled with water. When, however, it is necessary 

 that the plant should rise to the surface, for the sake 

 of expanding its blossoms, the water in the bladders 

 is displaced by air, the plant rises, shoots up its 

 flower-stalk, the blossom expands and fades ; when 

 the bladders become again filled with water, and 

 the plant descends to ripen its seeds at the bottom. 



It matters not, then, whithersoever you turn 

 your eyes ; you will everywhere detect the watch- 

 ful presence of God : 



" Each tree and leaf doth know 

 I AM." 



