THE MEDITERRANEAN PEOPLES—FISCHER. 509 
cultivation the dry and rocky mountains of southern Tunis, espe- 
cially in the territory of Arad south of Ghabes and of Tripoli. 
Bee culture is carried on with especial zeal by them, and wax is 
therefore one of the exports of southern Morocco. 
All the Berbers seem to have a leaning to a settled and agricul- 
tural life, although it must be admitted that those tribes which are 
known as seminomads or nomads only are cultivators from necessity. 
The Berbers are also clever artisans, masons, joiners, weavers, pot- 
ters and the lke. 
Pottery and woolen weaving flourish in Jerba, and the purple-dye 
industry has been carried on there for a long time, while the woolen 
trade of Tunis is almost altogether in their hands. Tanning, dyeing, 
soap making, leather working and the like are carried on in other 
places. The Mozabites are especially skillful merchants. 
From a moral point of view the Berbers show great contrasts. An 
authority has advanced the opinion that “ pure Berbers have pure 
morals.” The mountain Berbers of Rif and the Berbers who are 
the least mixed of all are recognized as especially strict morally. On 
the other hand, we are assured that there are many tribes with loose 
customs, who are of ancient descent, at least the oasis dwellers of the 
great deserts come in this category. * * * Wives are bought in 
some regions, yet in many tribes the position of the women is much 
freer than among the Arabs, as is shown by the fact that they go 
unveiled. 
The Berbers have been altogether won over to Mohammedanism, 
yet that religion became generally known only in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, and was then only outwardly observed. The Berbers seldom 
exhibit religious fanaticism, least of all in Tunis. The Jebala drink 
wine which they make themselves, as well as buying it from Jews and 
Christians, so that drunkenness, unheard of elsewhere in the world of 
Islam, is not infrequent among them. They also smoke kif immoder- 
ately and eat boar meat. The saints’ tombs, which are sometimes 
small cubical’ structures with domes called Marabut or Kubba, and 
sometimes mosque-like buildings, are always carefully covered with 
white paint, and therefore are visible for a great distance. These 
are very much reverenced, especially in Morocco, and are very numer- 
ous, while mosques are few. Sherifia families, who because they are 
descendants of the prophet are considered as holy and enjoy especial 
privileges, are frequently found and often form entire villages. 
These are of course Arabs. Occasionally especially prominent sherifs, 
1. e., descendants of Mohammed, succeed in making peace between 
tribes who are in blood feud with each other, and everywhere act as 
protective guides and make journeys through hostile territory possi- 
ble. The only places I have experienced unfriendliness in my travels 
have been these sherif villages, for, dirty and ruined as these holy 
