BOTANY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 105 



Chieftain, to thee we duly bring 

 Our countless gifts from land and sea, 



And lo ! to crown our offering 

 The nectared draughts we pour for thee. 



Peziza's lowly daughters bear 



In their ruby cups so rich and rare. 



E. We have now finished with the twenty- 

 four classes of Linneus. Do you remember 

 how many modern botanists make of them, and 

 what are the rejected classes. 



L. O yes ! there are twenty one left. The 

 Classes Dodecandria, Polyadelphia, and Poly- 

 gamia, being distributed among the others. 



E. I am very much pleased to think you 

 paid so much attention and have remembered 

 our conversations so well. You can now tell 

 the class or order of almost any flower you meet 

 with, and that is certainly a great advantage. 

 The knowledge you have acquired is a letter of 

 introduction, making you somewhat acquainted 

 with all the members of the vegetable kingdom. 



L. But I suppose from the high idea you 

 have of the natural system that it will teach 

 much more than merely knowing the flowers. 



E. Yes; for though the Linnean system is 

 by far the best of any artificial plan known, it 

 is in many respects very imperfect, for the num- 



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