HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



151 



enormous ; it forms an article of internal trade with 

 the various tribes. It is estimated that its annual 

 consumption is not less than 30,000,000 pounds. 

 The leaves are used for making an infusion as tea, 

 or chewed with a little unslaked lime. After the 

 morning meal both men and women take a mouthful 



Fig. 106. — Paraguay Tea {Ilex Paraguayensis). 



of the leaves with a little lime, adding constantly 

 through the day fresh leaves, and without taking any 

 more food they are enabled to do a hard day's work ; 

 it lessens the desire for food, and excites the nervous 

 system. It produces about the same effect as opium, 

 and those habitually chewing it find it difficult to 

 abandon it. 



J. T. K. 



BOTANICAL NOTES FROM THE SWISS 

 HIGHLANDS. 



OVER THE GEMMI TO ZERMATT. 



By Dr. De Ckespigny. 



I ARRIVED with a young friend very early in July 

 at Thun, where I had arranged to meet a brother 

 of the Vasculum, and proceed in his company over 

 the Gemmi pass into the Valais country. I had 

 anticipated the day and the hour of our meeting, so 

 went to Merlingen on the lake for the interval ; 

 within easy reach of Interlacken by a newly-con- 

 structed carriage-road along the north shore, with 

 many cuttings and tunnels on the mountain side, re- 

 minding one of the Axenstrasse by the lake of Lucerne. 

 We visited the cave of St. Beatus, to which there 

 is easy access from the road. On the rocks in this 



direction grow Lascrpitmm Siler and Peiicedanum 

 Cervaria, — the former alsolabout the cave itself, with 

 Hicrac'utni amplexicaule, — Diantkus sylvestris, and 

 Saponaria Ocymoides. In the woods, Gcraniuia 

 sauguiiicicin and sylvaticum. Digitalis hitea and 

 ambigua, or grandijlora, — the former the better name 

 of the two, for, if anything, it is a size smaller than 

 purpurea, — Epipactis ovalis and Cephalanthera rubra. 

 By the roadside the commoner plants were Tcucrium 

 montanuin and ChamcEdrys^ Stachys recta, and Silene 

 nutans. 



Behind the hotel at Merlingen there is a ravine 

 leading to an Alpine valley called the Justiz Thai, 

 well worth an excursion from Thun, if not from 

 Interlachen. A steep and stony footpath by the side 

 of a torrent leads up the ravine to an altitude of 

 about 1500 feet above the lake, when the ascent 

 becomes more gradual and the valley opens out. It 

 is enclosed in by the perpendicular crags of the Sigris- 

 wylgrat and of the Beatenberg on either hand. 

 Narrowed-leaved willows, iiicana and/«;/«ri.'a mostly, 

 with Epilobium rosmarinifolium and Myricaria Ger- 

 manica, fringe the sides of the torrent ; while several 

 high Alpine plants— 7/4/rtJ// rotundifolium, Plutchinsia 

 alpina, Linaria alpina, &c., from seeds washed down by 

 floods from the higher ranges — grow among the stony 

 debris adjoining. The first alpine pasture reached 

 afforded an abundance of that beautiful umbel Astran- 

 tia major. This was growing in company of Salvia 

 pratensis, Colchicum autiimnale (alpine form), &c. ; 

 higher up towards the base of the cliff, Gentiana lutca 

 and Lilium Martagon. Further on, under the pines, 

 Moftcses unijlora, Stellaria nemorum, Galium rotundi- 

 folium ; here and there Cirsium spinosissimum, with 

 Carduus defloratus and personaia, Rosa alpina, blue 

 and yellow Aconite. The rocks precipitated from 

 the heights above were covered with mosses ; many 

 uncommon and interesting species among them. A 

 projected visit to the Schaflock cavern and an ascent 

 of the Gemmenalphorn were thwarted by the occur- 

 rence of a thunderstorm and setting in of heavy rain. 

 We were compelled to beat a precipitate retreat and 

 abandon the design. Among the j^lants collected 

 there is nothing calling for remark except that the 

 Rosa alpina had peduncles and young fruit covered 

 with glandular setae (var. pyreuaica) ; and some 

 specimens of Senecio erucifolius, growing with others 

 of ordinary characters, were almost white with hoary 

 pubescence. 



The following afternoon found us in company with 

 our botanical friend at Spiez, on the opposite shore of 

 the lake. Owing to the forbidding aspect of the 

 weather, all question of attempting the Niesen was 

 laid aside. We went on therefore to Kandersteg 

 direct, whence we made the ascent of the Gemmi on 

 the following morning, wrapped up in a Scotch mist — if 

 there is any difference between that and a Swiss one — 

 the whole way, and seeing nothing of the glorious 

 views it affords ; neither was anything gathered worth 



