LA MORTOLA. 7 



bark may be found an abundance of pure white hardened tears of 

 gum Sandarac, which flows freely as soon as an incision is made in 

 a branch. There are also specimens of Araucaria Bidwillii, A. 

 Cunninghamii, A. excelsa, and Cedrus Deodar a, Loudon, Taxodium 

 sempervirens. The curious gray Casuarina would appear to be- 

 long to this group, judging only by its outward appearance. There 

 are several beautiful examples of this tree close by the entrance- 

 gate. 



The newest intruders in this land, which has been cultivated 

 for so many centuries, are the Eucalyptus trees ; of these there are 

 many kinds in the garden. Naudin has lately given an account of 

 the different species of Eucalyptus in the " Annales des Sciences 

 naturelles," vol. xvi., Dec. 1883. Paris. In 1869 Eucalyptus 

 globidus, Labillardiere, was planted in this garden : it has now 

 attained the height of 1 18 feet, and is 8 feet in girth at the height 

 of about 1 8 inches from the ground. The different species of the 

 genus Eucalyptus offer a great variety of scents. Eucalyptus 

 pendula is most remarkable for its, according to the writer's opinion, 

 extremely disagreeable odour ; the chemical nature of the essential 

 oil which may be distilled from the leaves of this kind is at pre- 

 sent unknown. 



Let us glance at the olive-trees still extant here and there ; at 

 the groups of Bambusa, with their smooth shining stems, black or 

 greenish white ; at the less ambitious Erianthus (or Saccharum) 

 Ravenna, Saccharum Maddeni, Gynerium argenteum, Arundo Do- 

 nax ; at the Cyperus Papyrus, L., and we find we have named 

 nearly all those plants which strike the beholder at first sight. 

 Such groups presuppose damp ground, which is, however, achieved 

 here only in certain parts of the garden, and by dint of much 

 trouble. The large cisterns in the garden secure a little necessary 

 supply of water for the summer months, which are often quite 

 rainless. The yearly average of cloudless days is 214, with 40 

 rainy days between October and April. Of aquatic plants growing 

 well in the ponds are the Azolla caroliniana, allied to the Salvinia, 

 the Aponogeton distachyon (Naiadacese), the Calla (or Richardia) 

 cethiopica, but still more thriving is the countless army of green 

 frogs, Hyla arborea. Far more shrubs and trees than the above- 

 mentioned, however, form the soft wave-like curves of the rich foli- 

 age which, seen from the entrance-gate, mitigate the naturally 

 rugged outlines of the landscape. It is hardly necessary to state 



