222 H^'^' Bf. l^.BHEAB ON THE PLO^feA Or SINAI- 



we were glad speedily to leave this place, and to welcome even the 

 verdure of a thick but low growth of olive-green and reddish Salir 



Tnrnin2^ once more northwards towards Palestine, in thp 



cornia. 



Mathiola 



March 18. — We crossed dry chalky plains, covered with flints 

 of a brown colour.. The mornings were now very cold, and the 

 middle of the day scorchingly hot, but quite free from the oppres- 

 sive heat of 'Akaba. We encamped in the evening near Gebel 

 'Ikhrimm, in the midst of inbre vegetation than wq. had seen for 



I found here the curious Anastatica MerocTiuntica, 

 " Eose of Jericho " of full size, withered and blown 

 winds, and also as a vounsr seedling of a couple of 



several days.. 



ijaches across, just beginning to flower. Fulicaria undulata^ an 

 Oligomerisy a Reseda^ a Blitum, a small Linaria with yellow 

 flowers, and a number of pretty Papiloniacege were growing here;, 

 all dwarf. A very small Astragalus with fine silvery foliage and 



another 



hoary leaves ( 



and 



loaissimu^) 



ihyllis sericeaj another silky -foliaged plant, and one or two species 

 of MedicaffOj with the curiously podded Hippocrepis muUisiliquosa 

 and Herniariq liirsuta^ grow here in profusion^ We saw many 

 large Cranes, with red legs and wide-spread wings of white and 

 black ; and this evening there were near our encampment several 

 large, very handsome Vultures, not the dirty-looking birds of 

 ^gyP*^- I think they were of the Vulttcr fulvtts, the €rriffon 



species. 



dry 



and dry wadies accompanied us all the way to 'Abdeh, where we 



bounded 



angular form. 



gra- 



dually increased. We had not, however, yet left behind the 



Melijc 



appearance 



The next day, passing Euhaibeh, with traces of an ancient town 

 (probably Eehoboth), and seeing some small attempts at cultiva- 

 tion, grain (barley) growing in some of the wadies, we encamped, 

 in the midst of rounded hills on all sides covered with grass, to. 

 us a strange sight, which gave nj.e an idea of an American prairie—' 

 without a tree, without a bush, not one distinctive feature ta 

 mark our course. Our Arab guide lost his way, and we encamped 

 in doubt as to our exact whereabouts. 



