Proceedings. 57 



spread out below one's feet. At the little village of Caucale, 

 at the foot of tliis promontory is an Oyster-park ; there are 

 numbers of square enclosures made with wood, containing the 

 Oysters, and these are covered by the sea every high tide. In 

 the distance, from the hill above this village, may be seen two 

 rocky islands m the bay, Mont St. Michel and Tombelaiue. 

 We spent two days at the former, which is a most interesting 

 place, but of course chiefly on account of its antiquities. The 

 bay, which is from fifteen to twenty miles across, is laid bare 

 to a great extent at low water. The tide in the bay retires 

 eight or ten miles, leaving sands, over which may be seen 

 long strings of horses and carts guided by men who run in 

 jEront barefoot. The sands are very treacherous in places, 

 and persons have often lost their lives in them. It is a 

 wonderful sight to see the tide rushing in — it is said faster 

 than a horse can gallop. 



Mont St. Michel is an isolated pyramidal rock, rising out of 

 the sand, nearly a mile from land, but joined by a causeway. 

 The extreme width is only 900 ft., and the height of the 

 summit of the buUdings (from which there is a grand view") 

 470 ft. above the sea. A beautiful wild Pink [Dianthus 

 caryopJiyllus) grows in graceful tufts all over the rocks and the 

 old walls J it is very sweet-scented ; with it is the common 

 Scale Fern [Ceterach officinarum) in luxuriance. 



St. Malo is at the mouth of the River Eance, which is tidal 

 for about nine miles. The river varies greatly in width. At 

 one place the rocks leave only a narrow passage of a few 

 yards, at others it is nearly half a mile wide. The water 

 swarms with Jelly-fish, which can be clearly seen slowly 

 swimming along, by contracting and expanding their delicate 

 bells edged with purple. Several Sandpipers and Kingfishers 

 were also seen ; the Kingfishers both here and in Jersey were 

 seen to frequent the rocks by the tidal river or sea-shore. 



By the river-side near St. Servan we found the following 

 plants : — Anchusa italica, with splendid clusters of bright-blue 

 flowers; and on the rocks a tall pink Allium, Madder, 

 Portland Spurge, Hijjjericum Androsamum, Butcher's Broom, 

 Lis fatidissima (with its scarlet seeds), and Fennel. Humming- 



