BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 423 



Nigritella angustifolia. 

 Allium fallax, Don. 

 Botrychium Lunaria. 



Being very desirous to penetrate into the Pyrenees Es- 

 pagnoles, I made frequent inquiries respecting the state of 

 the passes ; but the accounts I received were by no means 

 encouraging. There was said to be yet a great deal of snow 

 remaining, and no tourist had attempted to cross the Port de 

 Cauteret, which conducts to the Spanish baths of Penticosa. 

 I knew, however, that smugglers were in the habit of travers- 

 ing it daily, as I frequently encountered parties of them near 

 the Pont d 3 Espagne, and resolving to make the attempt, I 

 wrote to Dr. S. at Argelez, requesting him to join me, which 

 he did on the evening of the 1st of August. We commis- 

 sioned our guide, Carro, who had also accompanied us to 

 Mont Lize, to procure us horses, which we proposed taking 

 as far as the foot of the Pic de Marcadaou ; but unfortunately, 

 several " cavalcades" were arranged to come off the following 

 day by the "monde" at Cauteret, and every horse was 

 engaged. There was, then, no alternative but to walk, and 

 we started in the morning at about eight o'clock, accom- 

 panied by our guide and a young fellow whom we engaged to 

 carry our baggage to the frontier. Our path lay along the 

 banks of the Gave de Marcadaou and over the Pont d'Es- 

 pagne, and in crossing the plateaux which succeed, we sat 

 down by a spring to eat a slight lunch, when we were joined 

 by four contrabandists, who were thence our companions for 

 most of the journey. Four wilder or more picturesque- 

 looking fellows I have seldom seen, embrowned and almost 

 blackened with constant exposure to the weather, and clad in 

 the Arragonese costume, namely, a blue or brown jacket 

 copiously braided in front, breeches of black or green cotton- 

 velvet, with bunches of white ribbon at the knees, ribbed 

 stockings, and spardines, to which must be added a girdle 

 formed of several folds of blue or crimson calico, passed 



