(J3 ) 



onr liirds and oflicr t,hiiifj;s ; but it was cold, and a heavy gale blew sand in 

 masses over the place, so that we were glad of our conifortable unartcrs. Near 

 the wells in the valley stands a broken column in memory of the murdered 

 lieutenant (Jollot : an inscription in French and one in Arabic were on the sides 

 of this dignified monument, but the French one was already broken away when 

 we passed the same way in May. 



On April 5 a cold gale blow from the north, and though we had + s (J. in 

 the morning at seven o'clock, and as much as a maximum of + H° in the afternoon, 

 we felt cold all day, the sun not shining, the wind blowing incessantly. On the 

 lifeless plateau we came here and there across a clayey stretch, showing traces of 

 Gazelles, little rodents, and Bustards. In the afternoon we reached the " mouse- 

 river," Oued Far, where we erected the tent with the greatest difficulty. Near this 

 river-bed we saw two Chaamba with Mehari and many sheep grazing in some 

 depressions with a few Zizyphus bushes. The map calls these wretched jilaces 

 " dayas " ; but they have, of course, nothing to do with the wonderful dayas of the 

 district of Tilrhempt, between Ghardaia and Lighouat. 



Several times we were able to hand postcards to the jjost-rider, called boshaat. 

 Mails are conveyed lr\- single natives on camels, who ride day and night. They 

 have a rifle, generally well wrapped in, so as to keeji the sand off, and have no 

 fear whatever, and nobody molests them (PI. V.). 



On April 6, after a long march over undulating, bare, stony plateaus, we 

 came to the first tributary of the great Oned Mya system. It was a surprising 

 sight which gladdened onr hearts when we suddenly saw before us, from the barest 

 hammada, a wide river-bed with tnfts of grass, flowering plants, and huge, thick- 

 stemmed tamarisks, affording shade enough for ns to sit down and eat our luncheon 

 of sardines, Arab bread, and dates, with water from El-Golea. After a short rest 

 we crossed again some stony plateaus, descending first into the " Oned Tinbonrbar," 

 then into the " Oned Sidi-Djilali-Lakhdar,"" and once more, down a steep ravine, 

 toilsome and dangerous for camels, to the " Cued Tiudjamat," where enormous 

 clitfs, reminding us of El-Kantara on a lesser scale, walled in the wide river-bed. 

 Through these and other tributaries of the Southern Oned Mya, and at last in the 

 bed of the southernmost bend of the real Mya river, we marched five days. These 

 days were delightful, and gave us plenty of work — though, unfortunately, several 

 days were very windy, making impossible any moth-collecting, and often spoiling 

 the day's work. 



The river-beds (PI. VI., upjier photo, PI. VII.) are generally full of bushes of 

 Retama, many huge tamarisks, and here and there enormous Zizi/jjliux, and the 

 banks are, especially along the southernmost bend of the real Oued Mya, full of 

 tlowers, mostly yellow and pale lilac. We had not seen a butterfly since El-Golea, 

 and here we were greeted by numerous I'ierU (biidUIin: alhiilicc and KuMor. 

 Jdliom nhsolenceiix, and twice we saw a Papilin iiiacliaon hoxpitoiiii/es, once alwi 

 a JJaiitiia cfiriisipjjux, many I'l/ramei.'i cardiii, and (^olias croceus. On the llfh 

 hundreds of Celcriii lineiUa licornicii were seen hawking about in the sun, and 

 we secured a number of them. Of reptiles a black form of ('/■oi/iaxft.r (ininthiiinrus 

 was found to be not rare, but difficult to catch amon.i;- the rocks, and a few 

 lizards and snakes were caught. 



All the surrounding heights ar(' as bare as jiossible, without flie slightest 

 sign of vegetation, and all the game has to come down to the river-beds foi' food. 

 There are only u few water-places, and they are not wells, hut only '• tilmas," i.e. 



