408 MAQUIS AT ANTIBES. 



flower heads on a bare stem, surrounded b-s' the green 

 involucre. The Spanish Broom Spartiiiiii jiiiiceum, 

 (Ficr. p. 395) is so abundant in tliis portion of tlie Maquis 

 that whole tracts are co^■erecl with it. A wealth of large 

 golden-^'ello\\' pea-flowers, poised on slender branches, 

 contrasts with the blue of the sky. The Pointe de ITslette. 

 in that part where the pseudo-moorish buildings stand, 

 is planted with a collection of shrubs as incongruous as 

 the architecture. The^• have destro\'ed the Maquis bushes 

 and replaced them b^' Ciipressjis macrocarpa, Pitlosporuui , 

 J/cdfc(ii^'o arhorca. Agaves, Iris and ^lesembrvauiheinum 

 (irn/arr/oniie. It seems as if they had intended to make 

 experiments in acclimatisation here, to ascertain \A-hich 

 foreign plants could best resist such an exposed situation. 

 PitUisporiim, the large fruited Cypress and the Mesem- 

 bryanthemum have been very successful. One wonders 

 at their powers of resistance, on such ston\- ground, to 

 the winds, the tine sea-spra^■ and the continued drought. 

 Not onh' do the\' endure it but they flourish. A gardener 

 would indeed be necessar^' to help the indigenous ^'cgc- 

 tation to re-assert its rights. Let us hope that the time 

 is not far distant \vhen tlie 'dslette" will again be clothed 

 in the fragrant beaut\' of the Mae|uis! A ^ew native 

 plants have held their ground on the further end of 

 the point, and at j^resent there grow ^■onder. 

 Cistus (Fig. p. .S3) and Oleaster; M\rtle and Lentiscus 

 (Pig. p. .^4')) spread out like cushions: while the 

 sih'er\- gre\- foliage ol J leliclirysuiii and the bright 

 ■\'ell(i\v blossoms oi the iiird's loot Trefoil adorn the 

 ground. But the paths on this rugged strip of rock^' 



