THE ELEPHANT SHREW 4 1 



rah and El Kantara the writer observed a considerable 

 number of storks sailino" over the rusfored moorland 

 on expanded pinions, or sedately patrolling the 

 herbage in parties of ten or a dozen individuals ; at 

 El Guerrah they had preserved a flamingo, which had 

 doubtless been shot in the district. The southern 

 slopes of the plateaux were as desolate as the Sahara 

 itself. Barren hills dotted over with scanty vegeta- 

 tion ; rocks tinted with hues of slate, purple, and 

 orange ; abundance of sand and desert bushes barely 

 two feet in height marked the valley of the Oued 

 Fedala. Passing through the Gorge of El Kantara 

 with its limestone cliffs, one saw the great oasis with 

 its thousands of palm trees thrusting their heads 

 towards the sky of Africa. The Djebel Metlili 

 mountains, famous for their wild sheep, were left 

 behind ; we had passed from the plateaux country to 

 the open desert. 



The Sahara itself being" also the abode of 

 the present species, a few words may here be 

 devoted to a description of the plain of El Outaia. 

 Noteworthy for its immense sandy expanse, this 

 desert tract is watered by the Oued Biskra, which 

 is in summer a scanty though permanent stream 

 running over a rocky bed. Here and there one 

 comes upon the encampments of desert nomads, 

 with their striped tents and attendant camels; in 

 places, also, enterprising Arabs struggle to win a 

 thin crop of corn from the sullen soil. Rude huts of 



