Every part of the world has its special fancy, and in Brazil the cala-dium is the chief delight of the 'gardener, and forms no mean feature in ornamental gardening. In the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro there are some who boast of having over a hundred varieties in their collections. We only know of these pretty things by the few kinds we see in hot-houses, or the large "Elephant's ear" or Tan yan which grows in open grounds in summer, but this is enough to indicate how beautiful a large collection in tropical gardens must be.