114 Sketch of the Natural History 



nitida. A very rare plant, peculiar to granitic formations, 

 the iSenecio adonirfz/o/zws, is found in the woods near this 

 place ; I also gathered the Antirrhinum Orontium in the 

 corn fields. The Medicago falcata was very common on the 

 road sides. The vineyards here are less frequent, the country 

 being principally sown with wheat, the crops of which seemed 

 very fine, and were nearly ripe. 



Vitteaux is a village about 30 miles from Dijon, and is most 

 beautifully situated in a ravine, through which flows the small 

 river Breune. In the churchyard I gathered the Ceterach 

 officinarum, which was growing out of the walls, together with 

 Asplenium Trichomanes. In the neighbourhood, on the road 

 side, I gathered the Galeopsis ochroleuca. The country be- 

 tween Vitteaux and Dijon is very beautiful, especially near 

 Sombernon, near which place is found the rare JEpipaetis 

 (Cephalanthera Richard) rubra. 



In approaching Dijon, I passed the small village of Pont de 

 Pasny, near which place is the immense forest of that name, 

 which clothes the north-western slope of the Cote d'Or. In the 

 forest there is abundance of wild boars and roebucks, but very 

 few wolves. We here pass from the basin of the Seine to that 

 of the Rhone. At Pont de Pasny I gathered the Digitalis lutea, 

 .Supleurum falcatum, Prunella grandiflora, Dianthus Carthu- 

 sianorum, Globularia vulgaris, Teucrium montanum, Coro- 

 nilla minima, i/elleborus fce'tidus, and Z/inum tenuifolium. 

 I also took, on elevated ground in the neighbourhood, a 

 specimen of Chrysomela cerealis, and several individuals of 

 .Melolontha atra. 



I reached Dijon on the evening of the 12th of July, the 

 approach to which is not very striking, as the road lies on low 

 ground following the course of the river Ouche, and overhung 

 on one side by limestone rocks, upon which grows the Ononis 

 .Natrix, forming a conspicuous object from its yellow flowers : 

 another species of Ononis, viz. the O. Columns, also occurs, but 

 it is much rarer, and seldom exceeds an inch or two in height. 



The department of the Cote d'Or is one of the four 

 formed out of the ancient province of Burgundy. It takes 

 its name from a chain of hills which extends towards the south- 

 east from Dijon, as far as the river Dheune, and is called Cote 

 d'Or, on account of the excellent wines which are grown on 

 it. The department is composed principally of an immense 

 fertile plain, bordered, especially on the west, by hills of con- 

 siderable elevation. The natural meadows on the borders of 

 the Saone are very rich. The lower part of the hills is partly 

 planted with fruit trees, and partly with vineyards ; and their 

 more elevated surfaces are covered with forests, filled with 



