THE ENTOMOLOGIST S HECOHI). 



A fortnight at Mont Ventoux (Vaucluse). 



By G. T. BETHUNE-BAKER, F.L.S., F.Z.S. 



From Digne to Mont Ventoux is not really a long way, but it is an 

 awkward journey, and we found that much the best way was to go 

 back to Marseilles and there get on to the main line to Avignon, 

 changing there for Carpentras where we caught the motor-bus for 

 Bedoin, which was to be our resting-place. To do this in a day we 

 left Pigne by the 5.30 a.m. train in the morning and even so had very 

 little time to spare at Marseilles to enable us to catch the train north. 

 Of course, the train we were in was late and it seemed to delight in 

 staying as long as ever it could at every little wayside station we passed 

 through, but at last we arrived at the great French port with about 

 three minutes to catch the Avignon express. Fortunately I knew the 

 station, so we seized our baggage and sped across to the other platform 

 and had barely got into the train, when the departure horn was 

 sounded. We had done the job and so we were content and could 

 then enjoy the delightful views of the coast, if somewhat distant, that 

 are obtainable from the railway for those who know what to look for. 

 The motor-omnibus at Carpentras was waiting our arrival, but so full 

 was it that I ascended on to the roof as did quite a few other men and 

 sat among the baggage ; it happened to be market day and all the 

 people from Bedoin and several big intervening villages, had been to 

 Carpentras to buy their week's provisions, etc., among them being one 

 or two enormous yellow pumpkins about two feet long and well over a 

 foot in diameter, all of which found a resting place with us on the top; 

 the only things that troubled us occasionally were the branches of the 

 trees that lined all the roads and that caused a torrent of excitement 

 to issue forth from one or two of my travelling companion's throats 

 when their hats were swept off by the passing branches. Meanw^hile 

 my wife was crushed inside and would far rather have been on the 

 top, but alas it was not possible for a woman to make the decidedly 

 primitive ascent. We at last reached our headquarters, somewhere 

 about 6 p.m. in the evening, and if the Hotel du Mont Ventoux at 

 Bedoin was somewhat primitive, the Hostess at least was kindness 

 itself and nothing was left undone to add to the comfort of our visit. 

 The heat was very great, but it w^as a dry heat, and was therefore 

 quite bearable, for descending from the Maritime Alps at an altitude 

 of about 8400 feet to somewhere about 800 feet, it will be readily 

 understood that the difference in the rarity of the atmosphere must 

 necessarily produce a certain amount of relaxation that was not at 

 first conducive to violent exercise. 



I understand that we were prol^ably the first English people who 

 had explored the country around and the Mont Ventoux itself, certainly 

 they had never to their knowledge entertained "les Anglais" before in 

 our little hotel. I had sorely wanted to stay at the hotel on the 

 summit of Ventoux but Monsieur H. Brown of Paris strongly advised 

 me not to do so, as the top was subject to violent storms and was very 

 frequently enveloped in mist. So I had to be content with two 

 separate nights on the summit and in one case there was a hurricane 

 blowing that nearly took my wife off' her feet, and in the other case 

 when I stayed there alone, a soaking mist covered the highest area. 

 But what are Bedoin and Mont Ventoux like'? The latter from just 



