BOTANIZING ON THE COL DE LAUTABET. 431 



In moister places appear Orchis globosa, 0. conopsea and isss. 

 0. nigra, the flowers of the last remarkable for their deep 

 red colour and vanilla-like odour, and still more so for the p ro fusion of 

 singularity of their having the labellum uppermost, a character botanical 



' rr > specimens. 



which has caused them to be separated into a distinct genus 

 named Nigritella. Here also we find along with our familiar Geum 

 rivale, the much smaller though not less conspicuous 0. montanum 

 with golden yellow flowers, Asphodelus albus, Phyteuma orbiculare, 

 Ranunculus aconitifolius, R. aduncus, Gentiana lutea, Polygonum 

 viviparum, Ajuga pyramidalis, while among the herbage, and not 

 very easily distinguishable, is Botrychium Lunaria. 



In certain places a more peaty soil. prevails, and with it a 

 number of plants still different foremost among them and not 

 soon to be forgotten, are the splendid blue gentians, G. verna 

 and G. acaulis abundantly enamelling the short turf. Primula 

 farinosa, Soldanella alpina, Androsace cornea, A. obtusifolia, Pin- 

 guicula alpina and Ranunculus pyrenmus and in places from 

 which the snow had but lately disappeared, a few plants of 

 Crocus vernus were still in flower. 



Amid such a profusion of interesting plants, the difficulty is to 

 collect little enough, for botany boxes are by no means of unlimited 

 capacity; and the botanist under such trying circumstances 

 finds it necessary (except in the case of plants, really small) 

 to relinquish all thoughts of liberality to absent friends and to 

 restrict his gatherings to specimens just sufficient for his own 

 herbarium. 



Experience has shown me the value of careful packing in the 

 botany box, occasional sprinkling of its contents and the necessity 

 of a well-fitting lid little precautions which tell materially upon 

 the condition of plants gathered during a long midsummer day. 



But to return to the Lautaret. After rambling about for some 

 hours, but still directing our course towards the highest part of 

 the Col, we diverged to the right in order to reach some patches 

 of snow and rough stony ground, and afterwards to climb a 

 steep rocky slope, the spur in fact of one of the mountains 

 bounding the western side of the valley. Proceeding on our 

 way the dull purple flowers of Anemone vernalis, most of them 



