398 NICE. 



bridge crosses the torrent obliqucl\- and we reach the 

 spot where the \"ar and the Tinee unite. The Tinee 

 bursts forth from a narrow rock\- opening, and as the 

 two torrents mingle here, the place is called ''Mescla". 

 Another short stretch and the gorge begins to widen. 

 I returned to the station at La Mescla to wait for the 

 train from Pugct Theniers. I had walked slowl\' and 

 continuously up hill more than nine kilometres from Pont 

 Charles Albert. 



Nice is no\v a centre lor numerous electric trams that 

 run along the coast as well as inland. Before very long 

 the\' will connect Mentone and Cannes without a break. 

 The nature lover may consider this an improvement, tor 

 in these cars he can enjo\' uninterrupted views along the 

 coast, and suffers less from motor dust than in an open 

 carriage. This spring they were alread}' running be- 

 tween Mentone and Cap Martin; Beaulieu, Nice and 

 Cagnes; and Antibes and Cannes; not to mention the 

 lines inland. 



Next day I went from Nice to Beaulieu, taking the 

 tram part of the wav, and was struck by the large number 

 of Opuntias, (O. nioiiacaitlha), all along Mont Boron. This 

 Cactus, a native of Brazil and the Argentine, has become 

 a formidable rival of the Opiudia Ficits Indica, which 

 has been naturalised on the Riviera di Ponente. OpiDitia 

 mouacaiitha is beginning to predominate in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Nice and vSan Remo. Its stem is dark green, 

 its lobes smaller and flatter and not so sharply separated 

 from each other as in O. luciis Iiidica. It has larger and 

 whiter spines and bears an abundance of fruit, while 



