CH. XIII. EXCUESION FROM SAFFI. 339 



The form of the land here at once dictated the best 

 course to be taken by a party of naturalists. On the north 

 side a range of lofty, almost vertical cliffs rises from the 

 sea beach, and leaves no space for any but a few marine 

 plants. On the landward side of the town the hills show 

 gentle slopes, in great part under tillage, and bare of 

 trees. Along the shore southward the coastline is formed 

 by reefs of friable tertiary rock, rising from thirty to iifty 

 feet above the water's edge, and forming a shelf of level 

 land, in great part overgrown with shrubs and small 

 bushes. On the landward side the hills rise at first with 

 a gentle slope, and then more steeply, until, about four 

 miles from the town, they show a steep escarpment of 

 limestone rock, locally known as the Jews' Cliff, and this 

 was fixed upon as the limit of our excursion. 



Mr. Hunot, who had accompanied us, had kindly pro- 

 vided horses for our use ; but we found so many objects to 

 interest us that the greater part of the way was made on 

 foot. 



We had not gone far along the sea rocks when we 

 found them plentifully covered with a species of Zygo- 

 phyllum altogether new to us. Though evidently allied to 

 the Z. album, so common in Egypt and elsewhere in North 

 Africa, this differed at first sight in the much greater size 

 of the thick succulent branches and leaves. It turned 

 out to be the Z. Fontanesii of Webb, a plant hitherto 

 known only in the Canary Islands. Another characteristic 

 plant of those islands was Helianthemum canariense ; but 

 this had already been found by us near Ain el Hadjar. 



When we reached the foot of the Jews' Cliff, which 

 rises some 300 feet above the shelf of land at its seaward 

 base, we resolved to divide our forces. From fragments 

 already picked up, and from Mr. Hunot's information, we 

 were led to think that some of the exposed beds of lime- 

 stone must abound in fossils. Hooker resolved to make a 

 search ; and, with Mr. Hunot, ascended the face of the cliff, 

 which is easy enough of access, and ultimately reached 



z 2 



