184 GLAUCUS; OE, 



if we can. Touch one. Where is he now ? Gone ? 

 Vanished into air, or into stone ? Not quite. You 

 see that knot of sand and broken shell lying on 

 the rock, where your dahlia was one moment aga 

 Touch it, and you will find it leathery and elastic. 

 That is all which remains of the live dahlia. ISTever 

 mind; get your finger into the crack under him, 

 work him gently but firmly out, and take him home, 

 and he will be as happy and as gorgeous as ever 

 to-morrow. 



Let your Actinise stand for a day or two in the 

 dish, and then, picking out the liveliest and hand- 

 somest, detach them once more from their hold, drop 

 them into your vase, right them with a bit of stick,, 

 so that the sucking base is downwards, and leave 

 them to themselves thenceforth. 



These two species (Mesembryanthemum and Cras- 

 sicornis) are quite beautiful enough to give a beginner 

 amusement: but there are two others which are 

 not unconamon, and of such exceeding lovelinesS;„ 

 that it is worth while to take a little trouble to 

 o-et them. The one is Dianthus, which I have already 



