646 Mr. J. I. S. Whitaker on 



and should never have heen sent by the authorities on a 

 journey of tliis sort. 



On the 26th of April, after four days of hard and incessant 

 marching through waterless desert, the caravan arrived at 

 Sokna, an oasis and town situated about 350 miles south of 

 Tripoli, with a population of 2000 natives and a Turkish 

 garrison of 200 men. Here a week^s halt was made to 

 recruit the exhausted forces of both man and beast after 

 their forced, march across the desert. During the stay at 

 Sokna some collecting was done, both of birds and small 

 mammals ; but of the former there were but few species, the 

 Desert Sparrow {Passer simplex) and the Coronetted Sand- 

 Grouse {Pterocles coronatus) being among the most note- 

 worthy. 



More dust-storms were experienced about this time, and 

 one night some torrential rains also fell. On the 4th of Maj^ 

 Mursuk having been fixed on as the furthest southern limit 

 of the expedition, the journey was resumed in that direction, 

 and the following day the caravan entered the range of the 

 Djebel Soda, or Black Mountains, as they have appropriately 

 been called, from the colour of the stone of which they are 

 formed. Two days after crossing this range water was met 

 with, and all the water-skins were then filled, and prepara- 

 tions made for another long waterless desert march. 



A caravan from the coast was here encountered, which had 

 suffered greatly from the " gebleh " winds and lost one-half 

 of the flocks with which it had started. Gazelles [Gazella 

 dorcas) were numerous here, and a nice specimen was added 

 to the collection, as was also a hysena [Hycena striata). 



On the 11th of May a little pasturage was reached, and the 

 camp was pitched for a well-earned rest after the forced 

 march of 15 and 18 hours at a stretch just accomplished ; but 

 another terrific storm brought the tents to the ground, and 

 rendered the night miserable. The horses of the caravan 

 too, maddened by hunger and thirst, stampeded during the 

 night, and were never afterwards recovered, although two 

 days were spent in diligently searching for them. 



On the 14th of May the small oasis (and village) of Zighen 



