THE WONDERS OF VEGETATION. 233 



was surprised to see that the leaves had already with- 

 drawn themselves under water, which they do not 

 generally do till about the end of October. From 

 this circumstance he augured that frost would soon 

 set in and that the winter would be long. The result 

 justified the prediction. 



Certain vegetables are especially intended for the 

 ornamentation of different regions of the globe. The 

 NympheaccB, floating on the surface of fresh, calm 

 waters, charm the eyes of wayfarers and painters in 

 all parts of the world. In Europe and in our own 

 country there are white and yellow water-lilies ; Afri- 

 ca has varieties with blue flowers, and in the Indies 

 there are the Euryale and the Nelumbium. 



Thus Egypt seems to have had its own peculiar 

 plant, the papyrus (Cyperus Papyrus), on the inner 

 bark of which they wrote. There are, it is true, vari- 

 ous opinions entertained on the precise plant which 

 furnished them with their paper ; but the majority of 

 naturalists incline to consider the paper-sedge the gen- 

 uine papyrus of the Egyptians. 



In like manner other plants appear to have a 

 special affection for certain mountain tracts. Such 

 are the rhododendron, charming shrubs with ever- 

 green foliage, which adorn the middle regions of 

 shady slopes and which the traveller meets with ei- 

 ther in the old'world or in the northern portions of tho 

 new world, blooming at the height of from 3,000 to 

 6,000 feet, now on the precipices of the Faulhorn and 

 now on the enchanting banks of the Lago Maggiore. 



The beautiful flowers of this evergreen remind 



