MONTE DI PORTOFIXO. 35. 



s 



and culminating in loft^- summits sprinkled ^\•it]l fresli 

 now. In tlie mist\- distance l5e\-ond Spezia rise tlie nigged 

 peaks of the Apuanian Alps, still slirouded in white. 



^Vt the northern end of the promontiir^'. on ■\\"hicli 

 «'e now were, nature slill wore a rather \\intr\' aspect. 

 Most of the slirubs and trees ^^-ere hare. A tew j\r- 

 butLis (Fig. p. oj), Tree Heaths (I'ig- p- U^]- 'ind E\'er- 

 green Oaks (Fig. p. ri(>A), reminded lis tliat \\-e were in 

 the south. I was fortunate enough on tliis expedition to 

 enjo\- tire compan\- of m"\- colleague Protessor (Jtto [""enzig 

 of (ienoa, to \"\-hom \\'e owe an illustrated Ilora of tlie 

 Ri\-iera. (Flore coloriee cUi T^ittoral mediterraneeni. lie 

 of course knows all the plants hci"e, recalling some to 

 m\" memor\- and gi\'ing me information about others. 

 Unlortunateh" there \'\'as so little as \et in llower that 

 ■we saw scarceh' an\thing except Primroses and Orocuses. 

 The gre\' shrub gro\\'ing in great quantities on the slopes 

 here and slio\\ing onh" last wear's \\atherecl inllorescences, 

 is J lelichrysiiiii uiiu:iisiifoliuiii. It smells just as strong 

 as the //. Sliicclius which \^'e found on the Oap d' ^Vntibes, 

 and the foliage of the two plants is alike. The sole distinc- 

 tion lies in the withered inllorescence. ^^'hene^'er ^\-e tread 

 on this plant a waft of perfume rises. 



\Vc reached the sunuiiit of the mountain without 

 realising" the distance \\'e had tra\'ersed. It must ha\'e 

 been an hour and a half since we left Camogli. Our gaze 

 no\\' ranges free o\'er a wide expanse, but ever returns 

 to tlie soft blue summits of the Apennines, the distant 

 snow of the Alps and the sunlit sea. The semaphore on 

 the top of the hill is no« falling to pieces. A new sig- 



