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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



colours, varying from very pale straw colour to deep 

 violet. I also got Orchis militaris in such a luxuriant 

 growth that it might have competed for beauty with 

 epiphyte orchids. Then Anthyllis vulncraria, in big 

 and vigorous clumps, though there was not the 

 smallest bit of chalk. Asclepius comuti, covered 

 large patches, but was not in flower yet. I may 

 perhaps write a few lines upon this plant, out of 

 which a new business has lately sprung up. The 

 most important others were : Euphorbia Gcrardiana, 

 E. verrucosa, Thalictnim aquilegifolium, QLnothera 

 biennis , but not in flower yet ; Orchis laxi/lora, 

 maculata, Platanthera montana. Phleam arenarium, 

 the southern form, with single upright small stem, 

 Silene conica, Vulpia ciliata, Polygala comosa, pink 

 and blue in big clumps ; Astragals cicer, not in 

 flower yet, Scleropoa rigida, etc., etc. I turned then to 

 practical botanising, as I quickly gathered a bunch of 

 wild green asparagus, which I enjoyed very much 

 the following day. On my way back I crossed a 

 low-lying meadow, where the poet's narcissus revelled ; 

 indeed, there was so great a number that one hundred 

 bunches might have been gathered at a time. Orchis 

 ustulata grew among them, although it is a very 

 different place where I usually collect it. 



The fourth day I made my farthest excursion to 

 Condillac, a little village in the mountains only known 

 because of its source of mineral water. There is a 

 beautiful old castle surrounded by the ruins of the old 

 village. I think it would be an interesting ground for 

 archaeologists. 



In the woods around I quickly found several 

 interesting plants, such as Orchis simia, Saponaria 

 ocymo'ides, a beautiful trailing plant which adorned 

 the boulders ; Astragalus monspessulanus, Cytisus 

 sessilifolius, Genista pilosa, Amelanchier vulgaris. 

 Thymus vulgaris, T. serpyllum, var., Ilelianthemum 

 polifolium ; Cephalanthera ensifolia, in so great a 

 number that I made a small bouquet of them, which 

 might have well passed for a bride's bouquet. Also 

 Cephal. grandijlora, but not so abundant ; then 

 Anchusa capensis, etc. Crossing under low bushes 

 I met with a patch of the pretty Lithospermum 

 cceruleum, which I had never collected before. On 

 my return I stopped the carriage to pick up a big 

 clump of Euphorbia serrata, and by the road sides I 

 got at the same time Vicia peregrina and Vicia 

 hybrida, a near ally to V. lutea, having hairy flowers 

 and pods. 



Another afternoon excursion near home, on some 

 hillocks called " Les Blaches," proved very produc- 

 tive too. I collected Herniaria hirsuta, Medicago 

 minima, Trigonella monspeliaca, Alyssum montanum, 

 Coronilla minima. In a rye field I found again 

 Bunias erucago, Myosotis stricta, Caucalis daucoides, 

 not in fruit yet ; Aira caryophyllea, var. multiculmis. 

 On declivities, Orchis simia, Loroglossum hircinum, 

 Ophrys apifei-a, and again Aphyllanthis monspelicnsis, 

 Fumaria procu?nbens. A little dell was covered with 



Bromus pratensis, of a peculiar aspect, because of its 

 grey hairy tinge. As it was getting late I stopped 

 here my investigations, although I felt sure I would 

 find something good had I had time to go further. 

 Coming back I picked up on a bit of wall Scleropoa 

 rigida, and by the roadside Lotus corniculatus, var. 

 villosus, a dwarf starved plant, covered all over with 

 long straight grey hairs. 



My last trip has been to " Chateau de la Tour du 

 Veyre," a very old castle in the mountain surrounded 

 with lofty trees, lakes, groves, etc., the remnants of 

 a former grandness. 



On the way, by the embankments of another 

 torrent, I got a lot of Biscutella laevigata; Genista 

 scorpius was also there in plenty ; indeed it replaces in 

 this country the furze so common in the north. On 

 getting there the first thing I met with was Daphne 

 laureola (in fruit), then again Cephalanthera ensifolia ; 

 underwood, Carex sylvatica, distans, Asperula galivide, 

 which I at first mistook for Galium erectum. In a 

 quite shadowed bed of bushy trees Arum italicum 

 revelled in great quantity ; Lamium incisum was also 

 found in a box edge-row ; then Genista pilosa, 

 Lepidium draba. I met along a corn-field Kccleria 

 cristata, which was so numerous that it formed the 

 chief grass of the border ; among the corn was 

 Ranuncuhcs arvensis, Caucales daucoides, Teucrium 

 botrys (the two last not good yet for collecting). 

 Turning then homeward I found a single specimen of 

 Trifolium molineri, a white variety of the crimson 

 clover. 



On a former visit a few years ago (about July) I 

 collected the following plants : Sands of the Rhone : 

 Lysimachia vulgaris, Genista tinctoria, Scirpus 

 rothii, Agropy7-um glaucum, Scirpus holoschccum, 

 Chlora perfoliata. Dry banks of torrents : Echinops 

 ritro, Tunica saxifraga, Glaucium luteum, Trifolium 

 tomentosum, aureum, scabrum. Roadsides : Cata- 

 nanche ccerulea, Teucrium polium, Plantago pryllium. 

 Under woods in the mountain : Rubia peregrina, 

 Campanula lalifolia, cccrvicaria. Dry sunny places : 

 Andropogon hirtum, Dianthus caryophyllus, 

 Serratula tinctoria, Psoralia biluminosa. In 

 cultivated fields : Medicago falcata, Euphorbia 

 falcata, Nigella arvensis, Setaria verticillata and 

 viridis (which are here troublesome weeds,) Linaria 

 cirrhosa, GSgilops ovata, Convolvulus cantabrica, etc., 

 etc. By the above, one will be able to judge the 

 richness of the flora of but a very small part of what I 

 call " Vallee du Rhone." I am glad to say that I 

 have duplicates of most of the above, whose list is to 

 be found in " Exchanges," of this number. 



S. Mottet. 

 Paris. 



In a recent number of the " American Naturalist," 

 Mr. G. Bauer gives a most interesting article on 

 "The Gigantic Land-Tortoises of the Galapagos 

 Islands." 



