THE ARCHIPELAGO OF BREHAT. 85 



hands of those holding higher command than him- 

 self. 



The emigration of the male population leaves in 

 the charge of the women the entire superintendence 

 of all field labours, in addition to the care of their 

 households. They are also obliged to combine with 

 the culture of the fields the labour of procuring the 

 fuel necessary for the long and tempestuous season 

 of winter, and to prepare the food required for home 

 consumption. On an island like Brehat, the land is 

 too fully occupied to leave space for the growing of 

 trees; which, moreover, could not be made available 

 till after the lapse of many years. Fruit trees are 

 the only trees to be seen in the island. All the 

 wood used for firing comes from the main land ; but 

 as it is very expensive, it is reserved for the houses 

 of the rich, while the poorer people burn the broom 

 and ferns, which they collect from the less fertile 

 parts of the island. They also use the Fucus detached 

 from the rocks, and even strips of turf, which they 

 dry with all the roots attached to the mould. Un- 

 fortunately, however, both these kinds of fuel have 

 the inconvenience of emitting a great deal of smoke 

 and a very unpleasant odour; on this account a sub- 

 stance, known as bois (Therbes, is generally preferred. 

 It will be necessary, however, to explain the mean- 

 ing of the term. 



I had been struck from my first arrival with the 

 circumstance, that although there were a large 

 number of cows on the island, I had not met with 

 any of those unpleasant traces of their presence 

 which they generally leave on their track. I very 



o 3 



