214 ^/^^ Htmting IVasps 



flowers and goes winding among the loose 

 stones ; the opposite-leaved saxifrage and the 

 musky saxifrage, both of them packed into 

 little dark cushions, studded in the first case 

 with purple flowers and in the second with 

 white flowers washed with yellow. When the 

 sun's rays are hotter, we shall see fluttering 

 idly from one tuft of blossom to another a 

 magnificent Butterfly with white wings adorned 

 with four bright-crimson spots, surrounded with 

 black. 'Tis Parnassius Apollo, the beautiful 

 occupant of the Alpine solitudes, near the 

 eternal snows. Her caterpillar lives on the 

 saxifrages. 



Here let us end this sketch of the sweet joys 

 that await the naturalist on the summit of 

 Mont Ventoux and return to the Hairy Ammo- 

 phila, who was lurking yesterday in her legions 

 under the shelter of a stone when the misty 

 rain came and enshrouded us. 



