320 POPULAR GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. 



it," only one of which is specified, namely, a scarlet Aloe, 

 which, like our Gorse, appears to flower at all seasons ; and 

 the many varieties of Mimosas, with their different-coloured 

 flowers pink, yellow, and white, appear to be spread over 

 the whole face of the country, whether rock or plain, hill 

 or valley ; when in blossom emitting a fragrance so powerful 

 as to perfume the whole neighbourhood. 



Most of the trees are thorny, and chiefly of the Mimosa 

 tribe ; the thorns of some are about two inches and a half 

 long, and as thick at the base as a large nail ; in others 

 they are short and curved, growing in pairs, " which catch 

 you like the claws of a hawk." Where a beautiful stream 

 runs through the plain the grass is bright green, and on 

 the margin are copses and plantations, in which "the effect 

 of mass and colour is so well distributed, that you might 

 imagine it carefully arranged by a landscape-gardener of 

 the most exquisite taste." Next we meet with " a well-wood- 

 ed ravine, with a brook running through it ;" and near the 

 river Mareb, on the southern limit of Nubia, we are again 

 put in fear of our lives, by traces in the sand on the water's 

 edge of every species of animal, from the elephant, the lion, 

 and the buffalo, to the tiny hoof-print of the gazelle ; trails 

 of snakes and serpents too there are of every size, from a 

 boa-constrictor to a small viper. 



