NATURAL HISTORY OF THE RIVIERA. 233 



bed, and on the floor close by a cartload of olives lay heaped together ; 

 whilst several hundredweight of potatoes were stored about the 

 room. There were many pictures of saints upon the walls, and clay 

 images put wherever they could stand, reminding us of a Bengali's 

 house in India. But, whatever deficiency there may have been in 

 the furniture of the inn, we found no cause to complain of the 

 repast which followed ; nor was the reckoning high, being the 

 equivalent of half-a-crown for both of us, including a bottle of 

 what we thought very excellent wine. 



Among the plants which we noticed by the way was the wig tree 

 {Rhus cotinus), well known in English shrubberies. Its hairy, 

 flowering branches are very conspicuous among the surrounding 

 green foliage, and no one could pass it unnoticed. The daphnes and 

 privets of English gardens are also seen here in great abundance ; 

 and in a sandy glen we found the curious prickly bean-caper 

 {Tribulus terrestris), which comes very near a common Indian weed 

 whose prickles even elephants are said to dread. By the time we 

 reached Savona the sun had set, and our basket was full of 

 plants, many of which would be marked as prizes by English 

 botanists. 



Our walk hitherto had been so pleasant, that with some feelings 

 of regret we left Savona next morning, with the thought that our 

 journey would come to an end that night. The flowers were daily 

 becoming more abundant and conspicuous, and butterflies and 

 insects of every kind and hue were starting into life. But the sun 

 which sustained them was getting very hot, and reminded us of 

 India and Australia. On reaching Voltri we were not sorry to find 

 a Diligence was waiting to carry us over the last eight miles of the 

 road, which runs through the outskirts of Genoa, and which is walled 

 on both sides by houses. The outside places were all taken when 

 we arrived, but the two men sitting on the box were persuaded to 

 travel like gentlefolk inside, and give up their plebeian seats to us 

 who wished to see as much of the country as we could, and then we 

 rattled merrily along. Our coachman reminded us of the elder 



