(468) 



market, where one day we saw dozens brought in to l)e stufl'ed on the spot, and all 

 were more or less dnll grey in appearanee. Besides the one shot near Tilrheuipt, 

 we got others at the same place from old EI Aid ben Massaond, several at 

 Ghardaia, and a number — though no adult males — at Laghonat. The old speci- 

 mens were larger than almost every one caught about Biskra, and the njiperside 

 of a bright light green or yellowish green, with the bead and underside (jnite 

 black, or black with a few lighter spots and jiatches. Biskra specimens are more 

 or less grey, with only a greenish or yellowish tinge, and we have seen none 

 with a black underside, though some specimens have small black spots. It must 

 be admitted that young S|)ecimens from the M'zab country are not separable from 

 Biskra ones, though the majority have a more greenish back, and all show at least 

 frequent small black dots on the underside. The specimens in the M'zab country 

 — old males and females (British Museum) — attain often a length of 25 cm. 

 (without the tail) — i.e. a little above the greatest length — which is not very 

 frequent — of Biskra sjiecimens. Under these circumstances it seems reasonable 

 to separate the form inhabiting the M'zab country (Ghardaia, Tilrhempt, Laghoaut) 

 under the name of 



TJromastix acanthinurus nigriventris subsp. n. 



from tlie typical V. acanthinurus. Type (Tilrhemj)t) in the Tring Museum ; cotypes 

 (one M'zab country taken by Lataste, two caught by ourselves) in the British 

 Museum. 



Ou April 16 we left Tilrhempt for our last goal — (Jhardaia, the capital of 

 the Beni M'zab. It was bitterly cold, a strong soutlt wind blowing against 

 us; the thermometer showed only 8° C. Again we sped over the same clayey 

 rufescent ground, with countless stones and generally three or four plants at the 

 utmost, though in dejiressions plants were more numerous. Near Berryuu, the first 

 M'zaliite town, rocky hills appear, the ground becomes more varied and broken. 

 At Berryan we took luncheon in the "bordj," or rest-house. The road from 

 Tilrhempt was comparatively good, but after Berryan became worse again. There 

 was no fear of becoming stuck in sand or mud, but often we had to pass over bare 

 and not very smooth rock, which shook our perhaps not too good machines most 

 terribly. Berryan had greatly interested us, and after that town we saw several 

 liliainpliocori/s, two of which we bagged. Shortly before Ghardaia, after descending 

 the last steep road to the M'zab valley, our machine broke down. We had to walk 

 the last half-mile, and the motor was ignominiously towed into the desert-city by 

 particularly stupid-looking mules. 



Ghardaia (Plate XXVI.) is very picturesque, the Frencii fort and the various 

 old towns of the M'zabite community crowning the rocks, the modern town, with 

 the few European houses and the oasis, tilling the wide river valley. 



The M'zab are a most peculiar tribe, mostly smaller than the tall Arabs, with 

 square shoulders, wide chests, and strongly developed calves, as compared with the 

 — on the whole— slim, thin-legged true Arabs. They belong to a dilleront religions 

 sect, and build ditlVrent mosques (see Plate XXVI.), are much more industrious, 

 quieter, fond of trade and agriculture — also, judging from the orderly look of their 

 streets, gardens, and cemeteries, cleaner. Nevertheless lice, especially Pediculus 

 vestimentum, are exceedingly numerous, and bed-bugs are not unknown, though 

 apparently not over-plentiful ; human fleas, however, which are absent from the 

 whole of the Sahara (and tropical Africa e.xcept where introduced), do not occur. 



