I had now no opportunity of acquiring any more knowledge of the plants in France, and shall only add, that I passed the winter of 1783 and 1784, at _Marseille_ and at _Hieres_; and that besides oranges, lemons, cedras,[14] pistachios, pomegranates, and a few date palm trees, I found several species of _geranium_, myrtles, and _cactus opuntia_, (Indian fig) growing in the soil, and likewise the _mimosa farnesiana_, sweet scented sponge tree, or fragrant acacia, the flowers of which are there called _fleurs de cassier_; these flowers, together with those of the jasmine, and those which fall from the orange and lemon trees, are sold to the perfumers of _Provence_ and _Languedoc_. [Note 14: These trees are planted as close together as possible, hardly eight feet asunder, and no room is left for any walks, so that these gardens are, properly speaking, orange orchards. The oranges were then sold at the rate of ten for a penny English.] Among the small plants, the _arum arisarum_, (friar's cowl) and the _ruscus aculeatus_ (butcher's broom) were the most conspicuous, this latter is a pretty ever-green shrub, and the berries were there as large as those of a common _solanum pseudo capsicum_, (Pliny's _amomum_, or winter cherry) and of a bright scarlet colour, issuing from the middle of the under surface of the leaves; I never saw any of these berries any where else. _Parkinson_, in his _Theater of Plants_, 1640, says, after describing three or four species of this genus, "They scarse beare flower, much lesse fruite, in our land." Perhaps the berries might ripen in our hot-houses. Many _arbutus_, or strawberry-trees, grow here, but they are not equal in size and beauty to many which I saw both in Portugal and in Ireland. In 1784, _M. J. J. de St. Germain_, a nurseryman in the _Fauxbourg St. Antoine_, published a book in 8vo of 400 pages, entitled _Manuel des Vegetaux_, or catalogue in Latin and French, of all the known plants, trees, and shrubs, in the world, arranged according to the system of _Linnaeus_; those plants which grow near Paris are particularly specified, and a very copious French index is added to the Latin one. The author died a few years ago; the plants were sold, and the nursery ground is at present built upon. DOGS AND CATS. TWO-HEADED BOY. LION Dogs and Cats are common in Paris. The lion-dog greatly resembles a lion in miniature; the hair of the fore part of its body is long, and curled, and the hinder part short; the nose is short, and the tail is long and tufted at the extremity; the smallest are little larger than guinea-pigs; these are natives of Malta, and are the most valuable; those which are produced in France are considerably larger, and the breed degenerates very soon. Their general colour is white; they are frequently called _Lexicons_, which word is derived, not from a dictionary, but from a French compound word of nearly the same sound, descriptive of one of their properties.