24 THE AQUA VIVARIUM. 



Many of the great families of plants have repre- 

 sentatives that live in the water ; so that it must 

 not be supposed that water-plants belong to a 

 common family. The fact is, they vary as greatly 

 in their structure and habits as do the plants that 

 live on the land. 



Botanists divide plants into two great classes, 

 Flowering plants and Flowerless plants. The 

 flowering plants are again divided into Dicotyle- 

 dons and Monocotyledons, and each of these great 

 divisions comprehends many forms of plants. We 

 shall follow this division in speaking of the plants 

 for the Aquavivarium ; so that persons may get a 

 little knowledge of Botany whilst attending to their 

 Aquavivarium. In fact, mere amusement is but 

 a poor end to propose to ourselves in any human 

 occupation ; and if people would but exercise their 

 minds a little, they would find that there are really 

 few human occupations that will not afford in- 

 struction. 



We shall speak first of the Dicotyledonous, then 

 of the Monocotyledonous Flowering plants, and 

 afterwards of the Flowerless plants. 



I. DICOTYLEDONOUS FLOWERING 

 PLANTS. 



WATER CROWFOOT (Ranunculus aquatilis), Plate 

 IV., Fig. 1. This plant belongs to the Crowfoot 

 family (Ranunculacece), the same to which But- 

 tercups, Anemones, the Clematises, Monkshood, 

 and Larkspurs, belong. The Water Crowfoot is 

 an interesting plant, and very common in our 

 ponds and ditches, putting forth a beautiful 

 crop of white blossoms in April and May. It 

 has two sorts of leaves : one set are submerged, 



