40 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



can be called anything more than a twitter,) and heeded 

 not my approach until I could almost have touched her ; 

 and before I had gone three yards she was back again. I 

 quite felt for the unlucky little bird, as I watched her trying 

 to restore her partner to life by every means in her power, 

 and wailing out her lamentations at her vain efforts. The 

 House Martin was so far affected by the same cold wind of 

 March 27th, that I found many in the early morning upon 

 the sand, and others clinging to the mud-brick walls which 

 partition off the gardens. I caught some with my hat, 

 which will give an idea of their extreme feebleness. 



While enumerating the principal birds, I wish also to 

 make some mention of other animals. Once I shot what I 

 suppose to have been a Short-tailed Marmot, and occasion- 

 ally I could have shot Hares, but did not, as they would 

 have been too much trouble to carry home. I brought 

 back to England a Panther's skin, a brace of Boar tusks, a fine 

 head of Gazelle, Gazclla dorcas, (of my own preparing) 

 and several curiosities in mythellated spirits, including a 

 Chameleon exactly like one of my father's, which he had 

 alive and kept a long time by feeding it on meal worms. 

 In every direction are to be seen the singular footprints of 

 the Jerboa, or jumping mouse, whose holes perforate the 

 plain. I got one and kept it alive some days. I found two 

 huge frogs at the foot of a garden wall, on the edge of 

 the marsh. Large Lizards were often brought in. Con- 

 cerning them and Serpents I shall have something to say in 

 another place. On the brink of the stream which feeds the 

 small and half-dry marsh, there are a good many water 

 tortoises. When one gets near them they slip into the deep 

 water like English flounders. I do not remember having 

 ever seen any Butterflies, but Beetles of every size and 

 shape swarm. The Ant of the desert digs a curious struc- 

 ture, though not on the scale of magnitude of its mor^ 



