he passes.

A tree in flower brought the pleasant fragrance of hawthorn hedges back
to memory; its leaves, flowers, perfumes, and fruit resembled those
of the hawthorn, only the flowers were as large as dog-roses, and the
"haws" like boys' marbles. Here the flowers smell sweetly, while few
in the south emit any scent at all, or only a nauseous odor. A botanist
would find a rich harvest on the banks of the Leeba. This would be his
best season, for the flowers all run rapidly to seed, and then insects
of every shape spring into existence to devour them. The climbing plants
display great vigor of growth, being not only thick in the trunk, but
also at the very point, in the manner of quickly-growing asparagus. The
maroro or malolo now appears, and is abundant in many parts between
this and Angola. It is a small bush with a yellow fruit, and in its
appearance a dwarf "anona". The taste is sweet, and the fruit is
wholesome: it is full of seeds, like the custard-apple.

On the 28th we slept at a spot on the right bank from which had just
emerged two broods of alligators. We had seen many young ones as we came
up, so this seems to be their time of coming forth from the nests, for
we saw them sunning themselves on sand-banks in company with the old
ones. We made our fire in one of the deserted nests, which were strewed
all over with the broken shells. At the Zouga we saw sixty eggs taken
out of one such nest alone. They are about the size of those of a goose,
only the eggs of the alligator are of the same diameter at both ends,
and the white shell is partially elastic, from having a strong internal
membrane and but little lime in its composition. The distance from the
water was about ten feet, and there were evidences of the same place
having been used for a similar purpose in former years. A broad path
led up from the water to the nest, and the dam, it was said by my
companions, after depositing the eggs, covers them up, and returns
afterward to assist the young out of the place of confinement and out of
the egg. She leads them to the edge of the water, and then leaves them
to catch small fish for themselves. Assistance to come forth seems
necessary, for here, besides the tough membrane of the shell, they had
four inches of earth upon them; but they do not require immediate aid
for food, because they all retain a portion of yolk, equal to that of a
hen's egg, in a membrane in the abdomen, as a stock of nutriment, while
only b