32 ALLIGATOR POND. 



the wooded sides of the limestone valley lay beneath 

 us, a broad expanse of sea filling like a cup the 

 hollow formed by the distant valley's mouth. But 

 the most striking feature was an enormous mountain 

 rising inmiediately in front of the house, covered to 

 the summit with dark woods ; so steep and towering 

 that as I lay in bed in a lofty room I could but just 

 see a little portion of sky in the upper corner of the 

 window. The top of this mountain was the coffee- 

 plantation, and would doubtless have repaid the toil 

 of an ascent, if I had had time to accomplish it. 



COLLECTING CHITONS. 



Dec. loth. — I walked a mile or two along 

 the beach, towards the lofty cliffs called the White 

 Horses. Two isolated masses of rock had attracted 

 my attention from the ship, and I hoped to obtain 

 some shells here. They were situated just within 

 the tide, and the surf was dashing furiously over 

 them. As I could see from the beach that shells 

 were adhering to the very rugged surface, I stripped, 

 and waded out and examined. After picking off a 

 few species of Phasiaiiella, which were very nume- 

 rous, I was delighted with the sight of a Chiton, and 

 presently, many others of several species, the largest 

 about two inches in length. They were Ch. marmo- 

 ratus, assimills, squamoms, and pectinatus. 



Chitons are rather difficult shells to procure. The 

 force with which the broad muscular foot adheres to 

 the rock is too great to allow them to be removed 

 with the hand; and if they be touched without 



