BOG-PLANTS. 47 



mile in length, leading from the beach where we 

 landed to the lighthouse. This road, and the ground 

 on which the lighthouse stands, form the only excep- 

 tion to the sovereignty of the island. 



These boggy, elevated moors presented us with the 

 yellow blossoms of the great spearwort (Ranunculus 

 lingua); the rough water-bedstraw (Galium Wither- 

 ingii), with its whorls of curious leaves, beset all 

 round their margins and along the backs of their 

 nervures, as well as the edges of the angular stem, 

 with minute, barbed prickles, that catch the finger as 

 it is passed up the plant, was likewise abundant here. 

 The bog-pimpernel (Anagallis tenella), a lowly but 

 lovely little plant, was likewise profusely strewn over 

 the spongy moors, its sweet little pink blossoms occur- 

 ring at every step. 



Close to the south-west corner of the island we 

 came rather suddenly upon the first object of our 

 curiosity. In the midst of the heath-covered slope 

 yawned a terrific chasm, into which it made us 

 shudder to look. Its form is irregularly square at 

 the top, where it is about two hundred and fifty feet 

 wide. The sides in some parts are quite perpendicular, 

 but gradually approach each other to the bottom, so 

 as to resemble a funnel, which we judged to be about 

 as deep as the mouth is wide, or about two hundred 

 and fifty feet. The edges and sides of this fearful pit 

 are fringed with a scanty but various herbage, among 

 which we noticed many plants in flower. The upper 

 parts were gay with the blue sheepsbit, and the flesh- 



