MR. K. M. EEDHEAD ON THE FLORA OF SINAI. 215 



horns fully a yard in length. A skin was shown to us of a pan- 

 ther, or leopard, of a pale yellow, thickly spotted with black, 

 which had been shot in the neighbourhood. 



Mr. McNeill spoke of collecting seeds of the plants growing in 

 the adjacent wa.dies, and sending them to the gardens at Kew. 

 It is to be hoped that he may carry out tliis intention. 



Our next day's journey took us into Wady Feiran, the moat 

 fertile valley of the peninsida, a complete oasis in the Desert, glo- 

 rious in its scenery, overhung by the mighty and picturesque mass 

 of Mount Serbal, whose granite peaks rise to the height of 6759 

 feet above the sea ; rich in the verdure of its luxuriant groves of 

 fruit-bearing date-palms, it contained not only all the Desert 

 plants previously named, especially the Sparfium, the Zillaj the 

 Santolina, the Scopolia, and the Fagonidd _F. myriacantha^ F. sinau 

 tica and F. cistoides, but also numerous species w^hich we had 

 not hitherto observed — such as the pretty but unfragrant Cleome 

 chysantkay the Anacyclus orientalis (Cotula) with as agreeable 

 a perfume as the other is unpleasant, Leyssera capillifoUa {ZiOng- 

 cTiampsid)^ several species of Silene, Gypsophila vaccaria^ Hyos- 

 cyamtis pu^illtis with yellow flowers and deeply toothed leaves, a 

 great deal of the Cleome ornithopodioides growing together with 

 our own Trifolium stellattim. Here too were numerous trees, now 

 in full bearing, of the Zizyphus lotus (Arabice Niibk) : I found 

 the reddish orange fruit, which in size and form much resembles 



a Siberian Crab, very pleasant to the taste ; it contains a single, 

 round, hard stone. 



Quitting this fertile valley, the scenery as w^ell as the botany is 

 for some hours far less interesting. In the wide open Wady-es- 

 Sheikh, the SantoUna fragrantissiwa grows in enormous quantity 

 in the greatest luxuriance. The camels are constantly cropping 

 it; and as it is now in full flower, its scent quite loads the air as 

 the animals pass through it : not unpleasant when fresh, the 

 desert-traveller soon becomes heartily sick of the odour of this 

 plant, as, after mastication by the camels, it gives their breath a 

 most nauseatingly oflensive smell, and one soon learns to prevent 

 as much as possible their eating this plant, and to approve of the 

 Zilla as their food, as it leaves their breath untainted. I found 

 here another fine yellow Astragalus (? A. christianus), and on rocks 

 a pretty Sumex, B, V€sicar%n9^ which has large, membranous, 

 shining seeds, and foliage in appearance and flavour very like 

 Oxyria reniformisy excellent as a salad. At Nukb Hllwy, the 

 second steep rocky stair by which we ascend to the very heart of 



