Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/129

] with the tulip of the Cape of Good Hope (hæmanthus coccinea, Linn.); a variety of different kinds of hrubs projected from the cleft between the rocks, and at their baes grew the beautiful tœbe gnaphaloides, amongt an abundance of other plants.

24th. As the preparation of the plants, which I had collected on the preceding day, occupied a great portion of my time, I had not leiure to undertake any long excurion; I therefore confined myelf to hort walks in the neighbourhood of the town.

The fale aloë, termed by botanits agave vivipara, was then in full flower. I admired the lightnes with which the black titmoue (parus ater, Linn.) hovered about this plant, whilt it fed upon the accharine liquor which exudes from the baes of its corolla. It was with regret that I killed ome of thee beautiful little birds, in order to carry off their poils.

Three of us, who were walking together, followed a narrow path till within a mall ditance of the country-houe of the Fical: his name was Denes. This man, habituated to depotic authority over his inferiors, wanted to hinder us from walking over ome uncultivated grounds, which, as he told us with great emphais, were his property. We were not a little atonihed at this