BY THE MEDITERRANEAN. 53 



My last walk before leaving Mentone was to Gorbio. The 

 road passes in front of the modern Alexandra Hotel, and while 

 the views up and down the Gorbio valley are not wanting in 

 beauty, the first part of the walk loses much of its interest from 

 being along a wide and fairly level driving road, constructed 

 before 1877. A lemon plantation some way up is well known 

 to visitors for its scarlet anemones, both single and double [Anem- 

 one hortensis and var. pavonifia), which are much sought after by 

 tourists when they are in flower. A little further on, after crossing 

 the stream, the real climb begins. The carriage road executes a 

 sweep of two or three miles round the slopes of the valley, but 

 the old Gorbio road, a broad mule path, climbs straight up to the 

 primitive village of Gorbio. The view higher up the valley dis- 

 plays a fine rocky chasm, the sides of which are tinged with the 

 characteristic red hue before mentioned. I had no special "find" 

 on this walk beyond a few daisy roots (Bellis sylvestris) and some 

 trap-door spiders' nests; still, it was a most enjoyable ending to my 

 fortnight's stay at Mentone. 



Barometric Plants.— The Petit Traite de Meteor ologie Agri- 

 cole^ by M. Cana, contains a list of prognostics apropos of the 

 aspect which certain plants present according to the state of the 

 atmosphere. The following are a few examples : — If the head of 

 the gith [Nitella sativa) droops, it will be warm ; if the head of the 

 same plant stands upright, it will be cool ; if the stalks of clover 

 and other leguminous plants stand upright, there will be rain ; if 

 the leaf of the sorrel turns up, it is a sign of a storm ; if the leaf 

 of the willow grass slowly bends up, there will be a storm ; if the 

 flower of the convolvulus closes, it will rain ; if the flower of the 

 pimpernel closes, it will rain ; if the flower of the hibiscus closes, 

 it will rain ; if the flower of the sorrel opens, it will be fine 

 weather; if the flower of the same plant closes, it will rain; if the 

 flowers of the carline thistle close, there wiU be a storm ; if the 

 flower of the lettuce expands, it will rain ; if the flower of the 

 small bindweed closes, look out for rain ; if the flower of the 

 pitcher plant turns upside down, it will rain, but if it stands erect, 

 it will be fine weather ; if the flower of the Cinque-foil expands, 

 there will be rain, but if it closes the weather will be fair; if the 

 flowers of the African marigold close, it will rain ; if the scales of 

 the teasel become close pressed against each other, it will rain. 



