LA POUCE MOUNTAIN. 37 



stream and skirts the steep face of the hill over 

 roug-h gTomid covered with burnt up g'rass^ and 

 strag-g-ling- bushes. To this succeeds a region of 

 everg-reens (among- which the wild mang^o is the 

 prevailing- tree)^ where a species of monkey intro- 

 duced many years ag-o into the island has taken up 

 its abode. I saw none^ however, but occasionally 

 heard their chattering- as they hurried along- among- 

 the bushes. Where the path crosses the ridg-e, it 

 widens out into a succession of rounded eminences^ 

 with the summit of La Pouce rising- suddenly from 

 its centre in a thumb-like form. Its base is wa- 

 tered by a small g-ushing* rill^ and the veg-etation 

 now is very luxuriant from the continual suppl}^ of 

 moisture. The most striking plants are the tree- 

 ferns ( Cyathea excelsa and C, Bourhonica)^ some of 

 which attain a heig-ht of from fifteen to twenty feet. 

 From the eastern marg-in of the ridg-e the view is 

 very fine ] a sloping- precipice^ several hundred feet 

 in heig*ht^ covered with stunted bushes^ overlooks 

 Wilhelm's Plains^ nearly all under cultivation and 

 studded with sug-ar plantations. The soil^ when 

 newly turned up^ appeared of a dull red colour. 

 Numbers of tropic birds were flying- along- the face of 

 the cliff where they probably breed. Eig'ht species 

 of land shells were picked up here^ either creeping- 

 up the g'rass or under stones and log-s ] they were 

 of the g-enera Caracolla, Helix^ and Pupa, 



A narrow path^ difficult to find among the long- 

 grass^ leads to the summit of the mountain^ 2^000 



