THE PARLOR GARDENER. 87 



plants are cultivated. You exclaim at this word, 

 and stop me short by observing that the culture 

 of aquatic plants is beyond the powers of the par- 

 lor gardener. If this be your opinion, ladies, 

 permit me to say, that you are under a great 

 mistake, and I shall endeavor to convince you of 

 it. But let me first inform you, a little more in 

 detail, w r hat an aquarium is. 



There exists among the learned men a class, 

 essentially adventurous, who have a horror of the 

 fireside, security, and repose. These are the trav- 

 elling botanists ; men who are always on the 

 road, (when they happen to be in a country where 

 there are roads,) to discover vegetable rarities 

 and novelties. I have had occasion to call your 

 attention to them in speaking of dwarf succulent 

 plants of the cactus family. Among the novelties 

 with which these indefatigable seekers have been 

 enriching our collections for some years past, are 

 found quite a large number of aquatic plants from 

 the tropical regions. Among these is the great 

 nenuphar of the River of the Amazons, the Vic- 

 toria rcffia true queen of the tropical waters. 



So long as the number of hothouse aquatic 



