432 WILD GOATS. 



and partly as a protection against the scorching power 

 of the sun's rays. 



" The trees of the Lord are full of sap " we are inclined 

 to think that this has reference to the drawing off of sap 

 to which we have already referred, when mentioning the 

 matter of palm wine. Certain sorts of palm trees will 

 give off several quarts of sap daily, for some weeks 

 together and the quantity of sap or fluid contained 

 in many of the desert plants is well known to be 

 altogether phenomenal. 



"As for the stork, the fir trees are her house "- 

 though the fir tree is not a habitant of the Desert Zone, 

 certain sorts may perhaps be occasionally seen as 

 exotics but there are other trees whose foliage are 

 exceedingly like that of the fir tree. We need go no 

 further to seek for an illustration than to mention the 

 tamarisk (Tamarix Gallica[LinnI\}. This tree is very 

 common in Egypt, and the new-comer might easily 

 suppose it to be a species of fir in colour it resembles 

 the Weymouth Pine (Pinus Strobus}. It is to a tree 

 of this species to which we conceive reference may 

 here be made. The stork is seen everywhere in 

 these countries: and immense flights of them may 

 be seen at certain seasons both in Upper Egypt and 

 Nubia. 



The wild goat which is still found in the mountains 

 between the Nile and the Red Sea * is well known to 

 be an inhabitant of the loftiest and most precipitous 

 mountains, and rarely or never descends to the plains. 

 The goat in its domestic state also everywhere accom- 

 panies the desert nomads in their journey ings; by 



* See Murray's Handbook for EgyJ>t, 8th Edit., 1891, p. 26. 



