48 A MIDWINTER MONTH 



called the Val Solitaire. A steep climb brought me on to a ridge 

 covered with such brushwood as small pines, cistus, rosemary, 

 myrtle, Spartium Jmicewfi, and Genista horrida. At the right 

 season this is an excellent entomological hunting-ground, but now 

 there were only a few belated Red Admiral butterflies ( V. atalantd) 

 flying about, besides one large migratory grasshopper {Fachyiylus 

 migratoriiis), and a Xylocopa violacea, both of which I missed. 

 The path winds in and out, affording alternate views of the Val des 

 Chateigners and of the Gorbio valley, with the village of Gorbio 

 at its head, and at last it rises in steep zigzags up the rocky 

 mountain side. Up to this point the village of Ste. Agnese is 

 quite concealed by the mass of rock in front, which effectually 

 screens it off from view from the surrounding neighbourhood. At 

 last the village is seen, picturesquely perched on the back of the 

 crag, while down below the Val des Chateigners lies spread out. 

 Another steep climb beside a little stream leads to the quaint old 

 village, many of whose inhabitants live and die there, spending all 

 their days within sight of the sea, but never leaving the village 

 even to go down to the shore. Another climb leads to the top 

 of the rock, on which is perched the old ruined castle of Ste. 

 Agnese, at an altitude of 2,300 feet, 300 feet above the village. 

 It is supposed to have been built by the Saracens. The walls are 

 very high and massive, and the large windows, with the blue sky 

 showing through them, are distinctly seen from Men tone, 5 J miles 

 away. Through the same windows there is a view over the wide 

 expanse of valleys running seawards at our feet, bounded by the 

 Berceau and other high mountains, while to the north stretches 

 a bare and rocky valley — a continuation of the Cabrolles valley, 

 between the sharp peaks of the Aiguille, still sprinkled with snow, 

 and another mountain, while a snow-clad peak is seen further 

 back. In the valley, some hundreds of feet below, a small water- 

 fall is seen. On the rocks about the castle grow shrubs of 

 Juniperus phxnicea^ Alyssum halmifolium, Asplenium tricJiomanes 

 and rufa-mtiraria, and Ceterach officinaruni ; I also found one small 

 violet in flower. This was the only place near Mentone where I 

 found the wall rue fern. 



From the village I returned to Mentone by a wide path zig- 

 zagging down the front of the rock. The descent is easy, but 



