lying up the Wady Aba'l-Gezaz, which changes its name with every
water. The early air was delightfully fresh and brisk, and the
cattle stepped out as if walking were a pleasure: yet the Arabs
declared that neither camels nor mules had found a full feed in
the apparently luxuriant vegetation of the Fiumara-bed. The tract
began badly over loose sandy soil, so honeycombed that neither
man nor beast could tread safely: the Girdi (Jirdi), or "field
rat," is evidently nocturnal like the jerboa, during the whole
journey we never saw a specimen of either. A yellow wolf was
descried skulking among the bushes, and a fine large hare was
shot; porcupine-quills were common, and we picked up the mummy of
a little hedgehog. The birds were swift-winged hawks and owls,
pigeons and ring-doves; crows again became common, and the
water-wagtail was tame as the Brazilian thrush, Joao de Barros:
it hopped about within a few feet of us, quite ignoring the
presence of Frenchmen armed with murderous guns. I cannot discern
the origin of the pseudo-Oriental legend which declares that the
"crow of the wilderness" (raven) taught Cain to bury his brother
by slaying a brother crow, and scraping a grave for it with beak
and claw. The murderous bird then perched upon a palm-tree, whose
branches, before erect, have ever drooped, and croaked the truth
into Adam's ear: hence it has ever been of evil augury to
mankind. The hoopoe, which the French absurdly call coq de
montagne, also trotted by the path-side without timidity; and the
butcher-bird impudently reviewed the caravan from its
vantage-ground, a commanding tree. The large swift shot screaming
overhead; and the cries of the troops of Merops, with
silver-lined wings, resembled those of the sand-grouse.

After some five miles the "Father of Glass" changed his name to