272 ACCOUNT OF A BOTANICAL 
longitude. Scilla nutans stretches much 
further to the eastward in Italy, France, 
and England, but is hardly found in Ger- 
many, and must probably be enumerated 
among the plants which prefer a position 
towards the western shores. ` 
On the 13th we went to Quimper (pro- 
nounced Chimper by the Bretons); the 
aspect of the country is still that of a high- 
land, intersected by narrow winding val- 
leys, and seldom offering any extensive 
prospect ; but the hills get loftier and bolder 
as we advance, and towards Quimper be- 
gin to separate a little, leaving a wider bot- 
tom, so that our approach to this town of- 
fered some fine views, reaching in one or 
two directions to a considerable distance. 
There is a good deal of wood, and trees of 
a large size; and the fields are generally en- 
closed with trees in the hedge-rows. I 
had figured to myself in Brittany a coun- 
try of extensive heaths and wide unshel- 
tered wastes; but this is by no means the 
case in those parts I have visited. There 
is, it is true, a great deal of land covered 
with Ulex Europeus, but it is usually en- 
closed, the plant appearing to be cultivated 
for fuel and manure, as the farm-yards and 
adjoining lanes are often strewed with it. 
In some districts, also, they bruise the 
young shoots for early fodder, of which the 
cattle, and especially horses, are said to be 
very fond. I have heard Brittany described 
as dry, but it abounds in springs and bright 
little streams. Quimperlé and Quimper 
are both placed in narrow valleys at the 
junction of two small rivers. I could not 
learn whether the name indicated such a 
situation. Quimper had, a few years ago, 
a Botanist of the name of Bonnemaison, 
and his successor in a druggist’s shop, a 
Mons. Bourassin, was pointed out to me 
as the Naturalist of the place. I took the 
liberty of calling upon him, but found that 
his attention had been almost wholly di- 
rected towards Geology. He represented 
the hills on both sides of the valley of the 
Aulne as the most interesting parts of the 
province ; but this was rather in a minera- 
logical than in a botanical point of view ; 
and Plougastel, where there was a transi- 
EXCURSION INTO BRITTANY, 
tion limestone. He thought, too, we might 
find something at Douarnéne. 
ter place we went, and found the shores 
the bay extremely beautiful; but the plants 
were only such as are very general through- | 
out Brittany. Asplenium lanceolatum and — 
marinum, Lotus hispidus, Orchis lax 
ra, Erica ciliaris, Campanula hederacea, 
lilecebrum verticillatum, Sibthorpia Eu- 
ropæa, Lycopodium inundatum, Daucus 
maritimus, Scirpus Savii, Verbascum vir- — 
gatum, and Erodium maritimum. 
On the 16th we went to Briec and as- — 
cended the rocky point of one of the slaty — 
hills, pointed out by M. Bourassin, without 
adding any thing to our list of Breton — 
plants, except Drosera Anglica in one 
spot, but not yet in flower. On the moist 
hedge-banks we observed Sibthorpia Eu- 
ropea, Campanula hederacea, and Lysi- — 
machia Nemorum. On the heaths grew — 
Lobelia urens, Erica ciliaris, and Agrostis : 
ground, Carez bili- 
gularis and pulicaris; and among the com 
was Lapsana minima. But if our bota- . 
nical harvest was not very rich, we were : 
gratified by a splendid display of Breton | 
seíacea ; in springy 
costume, as there was a féte in the 
In various parts of France we find a marked ; 
variety in the female dress, especially about 
the head; while that of the men is nearly 
alike. Here, however, the dress of ie E 
men is very different from what one mes 
with elsewhere, and the outer jacket, which 
is shorter than the inner one, seems to be 
modelled on the flowers of the Datura 
Stramonium. Both garmentsare light ee : 
but the girdle, which is placed almost atthe — 
bottom of the inner one, and below the 
hips, seems to be of gilt leather. 
breeches are often white. 
On the 17th we set off for Brest, d 
past seven in the evening, and saw, 
course, but little of the road. 
T 
tanical 
dener, Mons. Plougam, very mode 
unpretending, with a good deal "s in 7 
science. His situation obliges 
to direct his attention to cultivated p e b 
but he is, nevertheless, a zealous 
gator of native Botany, and knows 
more 
We visited : 
the Botanic Garden, and found the pr 
