794 



Senecio viscosus, Scrophularia canina, Cynoglossum pictum and 

 Triticum Poa. 



On the 3rd of Jnne I visited the forest of Blois, but with little suc- 

 cess ; it seems to be of a clayey soil, with some mixture of flint, oc- 

 cupying an extended and nearly level hill-top ; yet some of the little 

 streams appeared to be permanent, though greatly swelled by the heavy 

 rains. The large variety of Monotropa grows here among the roots 

 of the hornbeam. We also find Euphorbia stricta and esula, Lina- 

 ria striata, Crepis pulchra and Lamium maculatum, between the forest 

 and the river. The botanists of Orleans contend that the latter plant 

 is a distinct species, and call it L. hybridum : it has larger flowers 

 than the common form, and is altogether a handsomer plant, but I see 

 no specific difference. Orchis laxiflora and hircina are not uncom- 

 mon about Blois. Just by Blois, in ascending the Loire, is a steep 

 bushy bank, which is rich in plants, and from the charming views over 

 the valley, would afford a delightful lounge in fine weather. The 

 plants I there observed were : — 



Orobanche caerulea Potentilla verna Ornithogalum pyrenaicum 



O. epithyraum Micropus erectus Muscari racemosum 



O. amethystea Valeriana rubra Ophrys aranifera 



Linum tenuifolium Centropliyllum lanatum Orchis hircina 



Prunella laciniata Medicago orbicularis Phleum Boehmeri 



Stachys recta Bupleuriim aristatum Celerach officinarum 



I was told at Orleans that I should find a rich harvest in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Vendome ; — that the ground was ttes accidenie, and 

 abounded in favourable situations. To Vendome therefore I went, in 

 one of tho diligences which run every day between that town and 

 Blois ; and after breakfasting at the Hotel de St. Louis, which is an 

 excellent one, set off' to find the botanic garden. I was positively as- 

 sured at the inn that there was neither garden nor Professor ; — there 

 are both. The garden, however, is only a little piece of ground at 

 the back of the college, and the Professor — M. Julliard — was unfor- 

 tunately at Blois. I did not regret this much at the time : the Pro- 

 fessors at these smaller establishments in France, are often men who 

 attend to little beyond the circuit of lectures they have to give, or at 

 any rate who interest themselves but little in the Botany of the neigh- 

 bourhood; but 1 afterwards learned that M. Julliard is a good and 

 zealous botanist, and well acquainted with the plants of the country, 

 — a kind of knowledge particularly valuable to a stranger. From the 

 college I set out to find the gardener, who works at other places as 

 well as at the botanic garden ; and not finding him at home, left word 

 for him to call on me, either at his dinner-hour (2 o'clock), or in the 



