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crests among the flowery gardens. Kites, Falcons, Black- 

 winged Kites, Ravens, Crows, Night-Herons, and all sorts of 

 small hirds come to roost in the shelter of this cover, and 

 being aware of this we hid ourselves behind the thick stems 

 of the date-palms, and had some easy and very productive 

 sport 1 ; but as soon as twilight had succeeded to a glowing 

 gorgeous sunset we rode back along an embankment to the 

 tolerably large town. 



On the 13th we resumed our journey in splendid weather, 

 and travelled down-stream from sunrise to noon without a 

 halt. Arrived at the place where the mountains of Gebel- 

 Tuk come close up to the east side of the stream, the country 

 looked so promising, that we resolved to lie to near the 

 crumbling bank and go ashore for a little exercise. 



There was neither village nor house in this neighbourhood, 

 nothing but rugged rocky mountains separated from the river 

 by a meadow not more than a hundred yards broad. On 

 climbing up the stony slopes and barren ravines I found 

 plenty of jackal-tracks and some earths, so I made the dachs- 

 hunds hunt the deep gullies, but unfortunately without any 

 good result. I also failed in my attempt to stalk the birds of 

 prey which were sitting on the peaks and pinnacles ; but while 

 pursuing this unsuccessful hunt I found some old tombs con- 

 taining bones and also what were either fragments of a mummy 

 or pieces of muscular flesh desiccated by the pure hot air. 



On returning from the mountains we killed a few Quail 

 which, tired with some long flight, had pitched on the narrow 

 meadow, and after a halt of some two hours resumed our 

 journey, reaching the large and prettily situated town of 

 Sohag about two o'clock. 



Here we at once landed for a ramble through the neigh- 

 bourhood, and the Grand Duke and I went round beyond 

 the town to some large pools near the barracks of its small 

 garrison, where we found a great variety of birds. The many 



