388 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
derate degree of moisture. All was full of freshness and life 
here, while the heat of the sun had already scorched up the. 
environs of Malaga. The hedges of brambles and of Coriaria 
myrtifolia were adorned, as in other parts of temperate 
Europe, with many delicate species of plants, as Fumeria 
capreolata, Campanula Erinus, Geranium Robertianum and 
G. lucidum, Veronica Cymbalaria, Fedia Cornucopie, Centran- 
thus Calcitrapa and Arenaria spathulata. The village which 
lies embosomed in this ocean of lovely verdure does not dis- 
parage from the aspect of the country; for it is large and 
cleanly, many of the inhabitants of Malaga possessing villas 
in it, where they shun, during the height of summer, the 
scorching heat of the coast; in addition to several English- 
families, who, coming originally only to spend the winter, 
have become so much attached to the place, as to settle 
finally in it. The public-house, or Posada, where I stopped, 
was however, in disagreeable contrast with the rest of the 
village, being filthy, inconvenient and infested with bugs; while 
to complete my annoyance, a party of gypsies, here called 
Gitanos, had taken up their abode in it, and being the rough- 
est and rudest people on earth, they spent the whole night. 
in bawling, shouting and quarrelling. ; 
The next day I went to visitthe springs, to which this district 
owes its fertility, here called Nascimientos. Some of the village 
wags, who generally spend their time in lounging about the — 
houses of public entertainment, in order to chat with new 
comers and to learn the news, followed me during my walk and 
took care tospread the intelligence, as we went along, that I was 
4 
about to turn loose a most wonderful snake in the waters. - 4 
The tidings took effect and half the village was quickly a£ my — 
heels, while a rolling fire of jests was kept up between the 
mystifiers and the mystified, amid which, my servant, sud - 
denly reising the lid of my tin botanizing box, increased the 
sport by putting to flight a flock of children, who thought 
the monster was already giving them chase. The spring P 
towards which we took our course, is a streamlet of the 
clearest and brightest water, which finds its way through the | 
