outline of the surrounding peaks and glaciers, the sun had declined far to the west. Otto, who had amused himself first with dropping the largest rocks he could find over the edge of the precipice, peering over to see if he could detect any startled chamois, and then with hunting marmots, which were abundant-was, I found, lying flat on his face fast asleep, with arms and legs outstretched as if clinging to the rock. Late in the day we reluctantly left the summit, its wonderful view indelibly impressed upon our memories, and fully entering into De Saussure's account of his own impressions, that "the six hours he spent on this mountain were of all his life those in which he tasted the highest pleasures which the contemplation and study of nature could afford."

The slippery face required more care on E.'s part in descending than it had in the ascent, and the steep ridges seemed also much more precipitous. I made Otto grasp one end of an alpenstock in his left hand, and I took the other, E. holding on in the middle by her right hand (by far the easiest and safest plan for a lady in steep descents). We half slid half ran down at a rapid pace, reaching our picket at the old larches easily in thirty minutes from the summit, which it had taken us an hour and forty minutes to climb up to.

We were not less struck now than we had been on the ascent with the beauty of the scene at this point: the grouping of the veteran larches on the bold rocks with the background of snow-peaks is perfect. When Tschitta was caught and saddled, E. sent it down to the châlets, the descent on the wide amphitheatre-like declivity being awkwardly steep and rough, and by the time we reached them again our spare things were packed. Taking the path to the left, we descended rapidly through a romantic forest-with fine glimpses of the huge cliffs above-chiefly of spruce, having left the larch on the higher range. Otto had represented the track as so bad and dangerous that it was absolutely

necessary for E. to dismount here, but we suspected a little exaggeration and found nothing very perilous.

We quickly regained the road we had left in the morning, here carried round the edge of fine precipices, with the Baltea boiling far beneath; and descending by an easy zigzag, from which we had once more a splendid view of Mont Blanc in the setting sun, we soon reached St. Didier, embosomed among trees and rich meadows at the bottom of a deep gorge under the precipices of the Cramont. Without stopping here we passed through Palévieux, and in three quarters of an hour reached Courmayeur, where we were welcomed back by Bertolini.

The valley of Courmayeur was hot and close after the free mountain air, and we strolled out till late in the evening to enjoy the gentle breezes wafted down from the Géant. Looking up in the deepening twilight at the dark summit towering far above, on which we had spent the day, it was with especial satisfaction that we thought of the wondrous scenes we had enjoyed from it in such perfection.

CHAPTER IV.

VAL D'ENTREVES.

Courmayeur - Arrangement of plants - Bouquetin - Mineral springs — Visitors Game Trout - Fruit and vegetables - Gressins Ascents of Mont Blanc - Montagne de la Saxe- Ascent of, and view- Cheese châlets Attractions of Courmayeur.

THE remainder of our time at Courmayeur was fully occupied in exploring its immediate neighbourhood, and assorting and packing dried plants, and other accumulated specimens; a work of some time, as it was necessary to put them into the smallest and most convenient compass for transport. The plan we adopted for plants, with great success, was, placing them in folio sheets of drying paper, between two extra stout milled boards of the same size: these, when bandaged tightly together, were slipped into the water-proof oilcloth saddlecase, with the wraps on the top of it, so that when travelling it rested flatly on the mule's back, behind the saddle, secured by rings and cord; and the heat of the animal materially helped to dry the plants. When we halted for the night our fresh collections of the day were arranged, the paper dried by the portable flat iron, and the whole piled with large stones. In this way every one of some hundreds of specimens reached home in good condition.

Bertolini brought me some chamois and marmot skins, and among them I was extremely glad to got hold of a skin of the bouquetin or ibex, the steinbock of Switzerland, though unfortunately without the horns. He had been asked 60 fr. for the carcase of the animal by the chasseur who brought it, and 50 fr. more for the horns, which latter he had refused, and they must have been but small, as it was only a young

buck. It had been killed in the Cogne mountains, which we had seen the day before from the Cramont. They asserted at Courmayeur that they were still found on the Alps of the great chain in the neighbourhood of the Grande Jorasse, where there is a valley at a great elevation, called the Combe de l'Evêque, but I more than doubt it. Long since extirpated in Switzerland and the Tyrol, where they were once abundant, they are only found now on the Cogne ranges, appearing but rarely for a short time in the Monte Rosa district; the Dent des Bouquetins taking its name from the numbers which once frequented it, though none have been seen there for years.

An afternoon was devoted to visiting the mineral springs, and we strolled down the pleasant meadows, which slope towards the bed of the Doire, irrigated by numerous watercourses, which on the warm hill-side ensure abundant crops of grass; then covered with purple crocuses, while fine pumpkins grew luxuriantly in scattered patches. The rare and beautiful Camberwell beauty of English lepidopterists, the Vanessa antiopa, was abundant here. The high banks of the Doire are partially wooded, the glades affording, to the frequenters of the spring, picturesque and shady nooks for retreat from the hot sun. Down at the bottom of the dingle where the Doire runs-and on the edge of the torrent of glacier water, which flows swiftly past, roaring over the rough bed of boulders a little bath-house covers the mineral spring of La Marguerite; the presence of which is indicated by the masses of calcareous and ferruginous deposits accumulated near it, in which leaves and sticks are thickly encrusted. This red deposit is so bright, that it is used as a pigment. Not far from it, along the river-bank, are other minor springs of similar character, but less strongly impregnated. The mineral water wells out from under the lofty beds of alluvial deposit which overhang the Doire. It tastes strongly of iron, besides which it contains sulphate of magnesia (Epsom

salts), chloride of sodium (or common salt), and a little free carbonic gas, with lime. From the river-bed is a beautiful view of the Col du Géant, closing up the end of the narrow wooded dingle.

Continuing up the river, and skirting the banks above it for some little distance, a fine stone bridge spans the Doire, where is an immense rock of granite, so large that a watermill is built into it. On the other side is the spring of La Victoire, with a primitive little pump-room of pine-wood, and a covered promenade outside for the water-drinkers. The waters are sparkling and purgative, containing sulphate of magnesia also, with less iron, but more carbonic gas, than the springs of La Marguerite. They were drunk daily by the Turinese visitors at the table-d'hôte, a bottle being set by each person, and, mixed with red Aostan wine, made a very pleasant summer beverage, the mineral waters counteracting the astringent qualities of the wine.

The hot sulphureous springs of La Saxe have been already mentioned. The hot springs of St. Didier, though not sulphureous, are, with the good baths and hotels established there, a considerable rival to the attractions of Courmayeur for the Italian visitors. Embosomed in shady trees and fragrant meadows, under the high overhanging precipices of the Cramont, with the snow-peaks of Mont Blanc closing in the view and diffusing a delicious coolness, the pure air must be an indescribable relief after the hot glare of Turin, and the endless dusty roads, mulberry pollards, and maize-fields of the plains; especially to invalids whose system requires bracing. To these attractions it must be indebted for its popularity, rather than to the very mild virtues of its waters, the principal of which is, that they constantly supply ready baths of hot water, which issues from a spring in the ravine of the Doire, at a temperature of 95°. It contains, I believe, no iron, and very slight traces of magnesia or other salts.

The little party at Bertolini's were pleasant, well-informed