OE, THE HOME-CULTURE OF FRESH-WATER PLANTS. 



pearance of an ideal Prog beautifully wrought in 

 Dresden china, than a real living and moving 

 creature. Sometimes, indeed, he remains so long 

 immoveahle, in precisely the same position, as greatly 

 to favour this notion ; but he will suddenly catch a 

 fly, or some other small insect, with such evident 

 relish, as to remove at once all idea of his merely 

 porcelain existence. In the neighbourhood of 

 Weimar the Tree Prog is common, and the students 

 nicknamed the military of Saxe- Weimar after these 

 little creatures, in consequence of their green and 

 yellow uniform. 



That graceful and beautifully marked creature, 

 the common Hedge Snake, might also be natural- 

 ized upon the island of an Aquarium, in which a 

 little cave of retreat might be fashioned for him, 

 lined with a few dead leaves. Into such a miniature 

 cavern he would retire in chilly weather, and in 

 winter wholly hybernate ; while on sunny days, to- 

 wards spring, he could come forth and bask on a 

 convenient portion of the rockwork, or take an 

 occasional bath, he being very fond of the water, in 

 which his action in swimming is most graceful as 

 well as singular. He should not., however, be placed 

 on the same island as the little Prog, as, like some 

 sections of the human race, he considers the Prog a 



