32 
ALLIGATOR POND. 
the wooded sides of the limestone valley lay beneath 
us, a broad expanse of sea filling like a cup the 
hollow formed by the distant valley’s mouth. But 
the most striking feature was an enormous mountain 
rising immediately in front of the house, covered to 
the summit with dark woods ; so steep and towering 
that as I lay in bed in a lofty room I could but just 
see a little portion of sky in the upper corner of the 
window. The top of this mountain was the cofiee- 
plantation, and would doubtless have repaid the toil 
of an ascent, if I had had time to accomplish it. 
COLLECTING CHITONS. 
Dec. \Sth. — I walked a mile or two along 
the beach, towards the lofty clifis called the White 
Horses. Two isolated masses of rock had attracted 
my attention from the ship, and I hoped to obtain 
some shells here. They were situated just within 
the tide, and the surf was dashing furiously over 
them. As I could see from the beach that shells 
were adhering to the very rugged surface, I stripped, 
and waded out and examined. After picking off a 
few species of Phasianella^ which w'ere very nume- 
rous, I was delighted with the sight of a Chiton, and 
presently, many others of several species, the largest 
about two inches in length. They were Ch. marmo- 
ratus, assimilis, squamosus, and pectinatus. 
Chitons are rather difficult shells to procure. The 
force with which the broad muscular foot adheres to 
the rock is too great to allow them to be removed 
with the hand ; and if they be touched without 
