Birds from Tripoli. 645 



" gebleh/' and to the absence of water^ which -was only 

 obtainable at places ten to twelve hours march distant from 

 each other. " During the ' gebleh winds/ " Mr. Dodson 

 wrote, " we had simply to hide in our tents and cover our 

 heads with cloths, as it was often quite impossible to travel 

 through the blinding, drifting sand, which made one^s nose 

 and lips crack and bleed." 



Two weeks after leaving Tripoli, the caravan arrived at 

 Sofedjin, about 120 miles to the south-east of that town, and 

 after a short stay there, continued its march to Bon j em 

 Oasis. Between Sofedjin and Bonjem some trouble was 

 experienced with the Wai'ella Arabs, an ambush which 

 had been prepared for the Englishmen being fortunately 

 discovered by them in time and the treacherous Arabs dis- 

 comfited. The country in this neighbourhood was very 

 rocky and barren, but intersected by numerous oueds, or 

 dry torrent-beds, in some of which large patches of brilliantly- 

 coloured flowers were to be seen, which on approach proved 

 to be "immortelles" or everlasting flowers. On the road to 

 Bonjem a halt was called at Faskir Zumzum, where an 

 important Roman reservoir exists in a wonderful state of 

 preservation, its stonework and cement being as good and 

 as water-tight as ever. Few birds of any species were to be 

 net with thereabouts, but gazelles [Gazella dorcas) appeared 

 to be numerous, judging from their tracks, and one of these 

 animals was shot. At Bonjem, which was reached on the 

 21st of April, our travellers hoped to find fresh food, but 

 were disappointed, the few inhabitants of the place being them- 

 selves on the verge of starvation, and their diet at the time 

 consisting almost solely of Yellow Wagtails {Motacilla flava). 

 These birds happened just then to be passing on migration, 

 and considerable numbers of them were trapped and snared 

 by the famished natives. Failing other food, the Arabs of 

 these districts often subsist to a great extent upon snails and 

 palm-juice. In consequence of the hardshijis endured during 

 the march, and to a Avant of proper diet, one of the Turkish 

 soldiers died about this time. Apparently the poor man had 

 been suffering previously from an attack of severe gastritis, 



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