gegi^iiiiE. 





33l'H01ua Msi'oicir. Natural Order: Bcgo)iiaccLC — Begonia Family. 



I " LCjONIAS were so named by the French Botanist, Plumier, 

 111 honor of Michael Begon, a governor of Santo Domingo, 

 ' .and a patron of science. They are natives of Jamaica, Brazil, 

 I tlie East and West Indies, and other tropical countries. The 

 ■i/\ -Ip i.u-ge-leaved varieties have been vulgarly called Elephant's 

 ^JkP^ f-J Ears, which ■ they may perhaps resemble in shape, but the 

 ^} exquisite beaut}' of their coloring eliminates from the mind every 

 ugh- and unpleasant synonym. Some of them are a dark green with 

 a band of silver, or groupings of siher blotches ; or again entirel\- bronze, 

 according to the individual plant. This species is grown chiefly for its 

 foliage; the flowers are mosth- white or faintly tinted, blooming on 

 short stems. There are several kinds, however, with small waxy 

 leaves that make a splendid appearance when in bloom, being hand- 

 some in color and of Hne texture. The stems of the large foliage 

 varietv are ver\' much distorted. 



QHE did corrupt frail nature with some bribe 



^ To shrink mine arm up like a wither'd shrub, 



To make an en\ious mountain on my back. 



Where sits deformity to make my body; 



To shape my legs of an unequal size; 



To disproportion me in every part 



Like to a cliaos. —Shaktspeare. 



|)Efijrmiii|. 



D-^,:?.", 



MITV 



essence to o'ertake mankind 

 By heart and soul, and make itself the equal 

 Ay, the superior of the rest. There is 

 A spur in its halt movements, to become 

 All that others cannot, in such things 

 As are still free for both. —Byron. 



k 



\M 1 to blame if nature threw my body 

 ^ ^ In so perverse a mold.' yet when she cast 

 ller envious hand upon my supple joints. 

 Unable to resist, and rumpled them 

 On heaps in their dark lods;in(j; to revenge 

 Her bungled work, she stamped mv mind mure f; 



And as from chaos, huddled and deform 'd. 

 The gods struck fire, and lighted up the lamps 

 That beautify the sky; so she inform'd 

 This ill-shap'd body with a daring soul. 

 And, making me less than man, she made me more. 

 -Lee. 



