154 ANDREW JACKSON HOWE. 



feet in height. Bat, as far as known, the salinity of 

 the Dead Sea does not come from masses of salt within 

 its immediate vicinity, but from saline matter washed 

 into it by the Jordan, evaporation doing the work of 

 " boiling down," long periods of time having been 

 consumed in the condensing process. The salinity of 

 the ocean is about 3J per cent, while that of the Dead 

 Sea is 25 per cent. However, a sink or basin in Asia 

 Minor contains water with 32 per cent of saltiness, 

 which is less than is found in Lake Elton. 



The Dead Sea was so named because neither plant 

 nor animal could exist in its waters. A lowly marine 

 plant is occasionally seen near an inlet, and a fora- 

 miniferous crustacean bores in mud along the beach. 

 If the Jordan carry a fish into the bitter water the 

 creature immediately dies. It has been asserted that 

 the presence of bromine makes the waters deadly, but 

 the high degree of salinity is enough to account for 

 the hostility to life. All waters which contain 20 per 

 cent of salt are incompatible with vital operations. 

 It is fortunate that the ocean is not too salty for the 

 thrift of marine organisms. 



Storks and other aquatic birds find plenty of food 

 in the Sea of Galilee, but obtain nothing eatable in the 

 Dead Sea. Water fowls occasionally alight on the 

 surface, and attempt to bathe in the waters, but soon 

 wing their way to more inviting scenes. In fact, birds 

 can not dive into waters as dense as those of the 

 Dead Sea. 



Although the atmosphere is appreciably con- 

 densed in the low level of the Jordan Valley, the 

 tourist is not rendered uncomfortable by the pressure. 

 Indeed, the asthmatic breathes easier in a depression 



