162 Mr Arnotf s Tour to the South of France 



imagine they had found as many distinct species. The three 

 principal variations were, however, that of H. guttatum Dun., 

 in which, though the stems be hirsute, the pedicels are general- 

 ly glabrous ; of H. eriocaulort Dun., in which the whole plant, 

 the pedicels not excepted, is rough with white patent, bristly 

 hairs ; and, lastly, H, punctatum Dun., of which the leaves are 

 covered with a very short, thick, starry pubescence : these three 

 states I believe to arise from the seed of the same plant. There 

 is also little doubt but H. plantagineum and H. inconspicuum 

 are only varieties of H. guttatum. 



Early the next morning we quitted Donos, and traversed the 

 Low Corbieres to Cascastel, where we turned, and took a retro- 

 grade direction by Durban and Villeseque to Sejean. In all 

 parts of this route, we were so fortunate as find our lately disco- 

 vered Medicaga leiocarpa ; and at Cascastel we even found an- 

 other new species, J/, reticulata, nob., approaching M. tornata^ 

 but differing by the legume reticulated, and furnished with a 

 thick, bisulcated, tuberculose margin. Astragalus pentaghttis 

 and sesameus, and Euphorbia lucida, presented themselves, but 

 in small quantities. Malcomia africana was also rare, but the 

 same could not be said of Convolvulus althaoides, which covered 

 the side of a hill near Durban. In all the excursions we have 

 made since our arrival at Narbonne, we have occasionally 

 found specimens of Hippocrepls scorpioides, Req. a new species, 

 not uncommon throughout the south of France, closely allied 

 to H. comosa, but distinguished by the legume being more cy- 

 lindrical, and nearly straight, as in Ornithopus. 



We arrived at Sejean about nine o'clock, and intended to set 

 off* by the night diligence for Perpignan ; but when it arrived 

 about an hour after, there were only two vacant places. Two 

 of the party set off", while the other two (of whom I was one) 

 remained, resolved to wait for another vehicle expected about 

 eleven. It arrived, and we were fortunate, if I can apply that 

 word to the being squeezed nearly to death between two fat Spa- 

 niards, who alone seemed fitter for filling the whole interieur 

 than for occupying two of the three seats on one side. Notwith- 

 standing, the whole cargo arrived at Perpignan about four in the 

 morning, not ten minutes after our friends, who had fared no 

 better than ourselves. 



