﻿12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 59 



of the alae of the nose and hangs down' to the lips. The head in 

 men, closely cropped or even partly shaved, is covered with a closely 

 fitting cap, or is lightly turbaned, that of the women at home bare, 

 in public covered with an outer garment. The neck as a rule is 

 uncovered. A large majority of individuals of both sexes go bare- 

 footed, except on special occasions. 



The family life appears to be the same as that of the poor Egyptian 

 of the Valley. Except the few who are better to do, the people 

 sleep on the floor, on thin palm-strip mats, and, according to the 

 village authorities, often without covers ; not because they do not need 

 the latter (though the rooms are probably never very cold), but 

 because they have none. 



The meals are generally only two a day, morning and evening; 

 and among the majority of the population there is but little variety 

 in the food. The predominant and often exclusive articles of diet 

 are rice, in rice time ; barley, in barley time ; and dates, in date time. 

 There is scarcely any milk and no butter. There are small tough 

 chickens and their small eggs, but these go in a large part to the 

 better conditioned and now in a measure also to the Valley. Meat 

 among the ordinary people is not eaten more than perhaps, on the 

 average, once a month, and then it is usually not of the best quality. 

 They eat cats and probably dogs, though the latter are scarce, there 

 being now only about a score in the whole village. The Kharga 

 natives used to eat household animals of all kinds. They even ate 

 camels that were diseased, butchering them just before they died, 

 but this practice is now prohibited by the government. 



Domestic animals consist of donkeys, a few cows, goats, and sheep. 

 Donkeys are the most common. AH these animals are diminutive in 

 size and often poorly nourished. The few families who are better 

 off financially own one or more camels, which alone of the domesti- 

 cated Oasis animals are usually in a fairly good condition. 



The occupation of the natives, as already mentioned, is almost 

 exclusively agricultural work. 1 Industry and manufactures are lim- 



1 In census of 1907, the occupations of the Kharga people are given as 



follows : Male Female 



Agriculture 2,170 .... 



Cotton industry 5 



Straw industry 42 3 



Silk industry 2 8 



Basket making 96 



Miscellaneous 48 II 



Transport and trade 55 



Police and other parts of Civil Service 66 .... 



Religious 69 .... 



Midwives 8 



Housework or no occupation 1,899 3>9°i 



