THE DESERT ZONE. 343 



Its Geographical Limits. The Koran on Vegetation and the Sequence 

 of the Seasons. Cinnamon Growing in Pure Sand. The Scriptures 

 on Vegetation and Human Life. Desert Plants. Thorny Acacise. 

 Desert Grasses. Prickly Grasses. Valuable Character of Certain Desert 

 Grasses. Dry Herbage, broken up and blown away by the Wind. 

 The Scriptural Simile of Human Life likened to the Grass of the Field. 

 Scriptural Description of Drought. Explanation of some of these 

 Scriptural Allusions. Desert Animals. Protective Colourings of Gazelles. 

 Beauty and Symmetry of the Gazelle. "The Gazelle Eye." Desert 

 Birds. Ostriches. The Desert Nomads. Bedouin Ode to the Wilderness. 

 Anecdote of Arab Self-Command. The Stranger, as " the Guest of 

 Allah." "The Temptation of Sidi Aomar " an Arab Legend. Ziaras, 

 or Pious Visits to Tombs. Quarrels Settled by Appeals to Superstitious 

 Fears. Arab Justice and Generosity. Execution of an Arab Murderess. 

 Desert Scenery. Magnificent Effects of Desert Sunsets. Dr. Junker's 

 Description of a Desert Journey. Fascinations of Desert Travelling. 

 Count D'Escayrac de Lauture on Comfort during a Desert Journey. 

 Mr. Gordon Gumming and Dr. Schweinfurth on Scented Desert Herb- 

 age. Pierre Loti on the Powerfully Aromatic Herbage of the Desert 

 of Sinai. Tamarisk Manna. The Desert Thymaceae. "The Smell of 

 the Fields on the Garments of Jacob." 



Desert Zone forms our third territorial division, 

 counting from the Equator. 



As in the former cases, one of these zones is placed 

 in each hemisphere, upon the polar margin of the 

 Bush Country we must, however, at once admit, that 

 though these deserts are to be found, more or less 

 exactly occupying their positions in each of the great 

 continents, right round the world, still their dimensions, 

 owing to local causes, are enormously magnified at certain 

 points, as for instance in North East Africa and Arabia ; and 

 their boundaries are much less regular, and less clearly 

 defined, than those of the regions already described. 



When therefore we venture to assign to the Desert 

 Zones, a position extending from 25 to 30, of North 

 and South latitude, occuping two bands, extending 

 round the earth's terrestrial surface, each 300 geograph- 

 ical miles in width, we are aware that this can be re- 

 garded as only approximately correct. In the first 



