OF CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS. 257 



plants you may wish to know, and then fix them by rote 

 in your memory ? 



Caroline. Oh, Mrs. B., you thtiik me still more child- 

 ish than I really am. In the first place, is it probable 

 that I should always meet with a person capable of tell- 

 ing me the name of a plant? And, then, I should be li- 

 able to be imposed upon and misinformed. No ; what I 

 desire is to be enabled to find out the names of plants 

 myself with the assistance of books, I mean. 



Mrs. B. It would be necessary for this purpose to 

 have a dictionary arranged the very reverse of those com- 

 monly used. Instead of giving the word, and then the de- 

 finition, as dictionaries usually do, you must begin by learn- 

 ing the characters of plants, and then come to the name. 



Caroline. But a dictionary of this description would 

 be but of little use to me ; for, as I am completely igno- 

 rant of the characters of most plants, I should not know 

 where to seek for them in the dictionary. Indeed, my 

 principal reason for wishing to know their names is to 

 be able afterwards to learn their history, and become ac- 

 quainted with their uses and properties. 



Mrs. B. I see that Caroline is coming round to your 

 opinion, Emily ; she proceeds from names to things. 

 This shows me that you have reflected upon the subject, 

 since our last interview. Various modes have been re- 

 sorted to, with a view of composing the peculiar species 

 of dictionary to which I have alluded ; and, in order to 

 give you some idea of them, tell me, have you ever play- 

 ed at a game called Four-and-twenty Questions! 



Caroline. Oh, yes ; I am quite an adept at it. One 

 of the party thinks of a word or a thing, and the others 

 try to discover it, in a series of twenty-four questions. 



Mrs. B. In this game, the art consists in so skilfully 

 pointing the questions, that each reply shall contract the 

 field of inquiry, till it is at length brought within so small 

 a compass, that the object thought of is attained. 



Emily. It is like the Indian mode of entrapping ele- 

 phants. They are surrounded by horsemen, who at first 



1396. What does Caroline desire to learn 1 1397. What kind of 

 a dictionary would she need! 1398. What makes Mrs. B. think 

 Caroline has been reflecting on the subject 1 1399. To what game does 

 she refer with a view to explain the mode of learning the names of plants'? 

 1400. How does she describe this camel 



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