( If-) 



On the other hand, it must be remembered that the Tademait is an absulntelj' 

 bare rocky ])Iatean, tlie rain-water running oft' as from a table, and tilling the 

 attlaents of the BIya without mnch loss, so that one single torrential rain would send 

 down incredible volumes of water to the Oued Mya. It is, of course, known that 

 the alluvial and diluvial deposits of the northern Sahara have been transiiorted there 

 from the south, and not from tlie north.* The Atlas IMoundiins send tlieir waters 

 to the Mediterranean and not lo the Sahara. AV'liat small rivers there are (like the 

 Uned El-Kantara, later on called Uned Biskra and the Oued njeddi) do not extend 

 far to the south. 



On Ajiril Jl we left the last bend of the beautiful Oued Jlya and ascended 

 again a dry and bare hammada. After a long and tedious march, during which we 

 saw many camel skeletons (on this day we counted 102), we came to the end of 

 the great plateau of Tademait and descended into the gorge of Ain Guettara 

 (PI. VIII.). It was time that we came to a halt, as some of our camels had 

 cut their feet on the sharp stones and were bleeding freely. This ravine is 

 very picturesque, the cliffs are steep and rugged, the river-bed deep and lull of 

 boulders of various sizes. Generally it is very bare, but here and there some small 

 Howeriug plants are seen, and small acacias grow sparingly along the valley. 

 The famous well (Ain) is a small dribbling source, the water of which is collected 

 in a basin, and a similar source is about a hundred yards away. A group of 

 date-palms (Plate VII.) stands near the source — a welcome sight, for, with the 

 exception of a solitary tree of its kind below Fort Miribel, we had not seen a 

 palm since El-Golea. The French have made a fairly good road through the 

 gorge, well marked with kilometre stones. Formerly the passage through it 

 must have been formidable, and numerous skeletons of camels show that it was 

 no child's play. We camped two days in the gorge, but without much success. 

 The first evening some moths and beetles were caught, but a heavy wind spoiled 

 the second night. It came from the south, in gusts, hot as if out of an oven, 

 and carried with it brown dust like powdered chocolate, which pervaded every- 

 thing, and was, to my mind, worse than sand. A new form of " gundi," called 

 Massoatiera harterti by Mr. Oldfield Thomas, is found in small numbers, and 

 a huge Barbary-sheep looked down upon our camp from the highest rock on 

 the first evening. Birds are scarce; of Passeirs only Ainmomanes dcserli mi/a 

 and Ovnaiiflic leucojji/ga breed in small numbers. We found several huge nests, 

 but all were empty. No large birds were seen, but on our way home a pair of 

 Buiizards (Biiteo ferox cirtetms) were observed, and also a pair of Falco 

 biarmictis erlangeri — all, however, so shy that we could not shoot them. Traces 

 of jackals were noticed, but traps were put out in vain. (Jf migrants, Swallows, 

 I'ipit, a Hoopoe, Si/lcia conspicillata, Sijlcia curruca, /V. meUtma'ithidn (once), 

 Ijiniua senator, and I'In/lliixroj/iix coUijbiti.i were noticed. 



On the liith we left Ain Guettara, and after passing a long dreary hammada, 

 entered a river-bed with numerous large acacias (" talhas "), reminding us of tropical 

 African landscape (PI. X.). A Wryneck was seen in one of the acacias. A Gazelle 

 was viewed, but not obtained. Soon we were out of this valley again, and crossed a 

 gravel-range with countless small spherical stones, like so many ancient gun-balls, 

 Init without vegetation, after which followed a river-bed of a new character : the 

 " Oned el-Abiod " or " White River," a frequent name in the Sahara. There is 



' A. I'oniul, Ix Sahaiii, lsi;J. ('f. Jiulhiml, (ladiuja- dii Saliiirii, p. US. 



