STRANGE PLANTS AND THEIR WAYS. 33 



tion that the historic interest of the papyrus plant began. 

 During the long servitude of Egypt under the warlike races 

 which overran it, and the loss of interest in literature, it is 

 probable that the culture of the papyrus plant utterly 

 ceased. 



3. The part played by the papyrus plant in the early 

 history of civilization was a very important one. With 

 the exception of parchment, made from the skins of ani- 

 mals, it was the only material used by the most intel- 

 lectual of the ancient nations — the Egyptians, the Greeks, 

 and Romans — for the purpose of books. The papyrus, 

 being far more easily obtained and easy to use than the 

 parchment, thus became the indispensable fact in the pres- 

 ervation of ancient literature. Papyrus rolls are now fre- 

 quently found wrapped around the mummies taken out 

 of the catacombs on the Nile, and these have furnished 

 a great insight into the manners and customs of the old 

 Egyptians. 



4. The stem of the papyrus is smooth, triangular in 

 shape, and attains a height of from five to twenty-five feet. 

 It bears long, grassy leaves springing from near the base, 

 and its flowers form small, flattened spikes of from six to 

 eight flowers each, clustered in great numbers in a compo- 

 nent head from fifteen to twenty inches long, supported at 

 its base by a many-leaved cup. The stalks are always half 

 submerged in the marsh or water, and the whole appear- 

 ance of the plant is very graceful. It is now cultivated oc- 

 casionally as a hot-house plant, both as a curiosity and for 

 decoration. 



5. The right of growing and selling the papyrus was a 

 government monopoly in Egypt, and was directly under 

 the charge of the priests, who cultivated it in largo quanti- 

 ties near their temples, which were generally located on the 

 banks of the Nile. It was used for a great variety of pur- 

 poses. Its graceful plumes crowned the statues of the gods 



