Cuar. VI.] DWARFED TREES. 95 
representation altogether is really good. One of the 
Mandarins of Ning-po, anxious, I suppose, to confer 
some mark of especial favour upon me, presented 
me with one of these animals,—plants, I should say ; 
—but as it was of no real use to me, and as my 
collections of other things were large, I was obliged 
to decline his present, which he evidently considered 
of great value, and no doubt wondered at my want 
of taste. 
Another example will show the passion which 
exists amongst the Chinese for things of this kind. 
When I was travelling on the hills of Hong-kong, a 
few days after my first arrival in China, I met with 
a most curious dwarf Lycopodium, which I dug up 
and carried down to Messrs. Dent’s garden, where 
my other plants were at the time. “ Hai-yah,” said 
the old compradore, when he saw it, and was quite 
in raptures of delight. All the other coolies and 
servants gathered round the basket to admire this 
curious little plant. I had not seen them evince so 
much gratification since I showed them the “ old 
man Cactus” (Cereus senilis), which I took out from 
England, and presented to a Chinese nurseryman at 
Canton. On asking them why they prized the 
Lycopodium so much, they replied, in Canton 
English, “Oh, he too muchia handsome ; he grow 
only a leete and a leete every year ; and suppose he be 
one hundred year oula, he only so high,” holding up 
their hands an inch or two higher than the plant. 
This little plant is really very pretty, and often 
naturally takes the very form of a dwarf tree in 
