BOOK V. VI. 40-vin. 43 



Canopus, 1628 miles ; Isidorus makes the distance 

 from Tangier to Canopus 3599 milcs, but Artemidorus 

 niakes it 40 niiles less than Isidurus. 



\ TI. These seas do not contain vcry many islands. isianiUoff 

 The most famous is Zerba, 25 miles loncj and 22 miles 

 broad, called by Eratosthenes Lotus Eaters' Island. 

 It has two towns, Meninx on the side of Africa and 

 Thoar on ihe other side, the island itself lying ofF 

 the promontory on the right-hand side of the Lesser 

 SjTtis, at a distance of a mile and a half away. A 

 hundred miles from Zerba and lying off the left- 

 liand promontory is the island of Cercina, with the 

 free city of the same name ; it is 25 miles long and 

 measures half that distance across where it is widest, 

 but not more than 5 miles across at its end ; and 

 joined to it by a bridge is the extremely small island 

 of Cercinitis, which looks towards Carthage. About 

 50 miles from these is Lopadusa, 6 miles long ; then 

 come Gaulos and Galata, the soil of the latter having 

 the property of kilUng scorpions, that pest of Africa. 

 It is also said that scorpions cannot Uve at Clupea, 

 opposite to which Hes Pantellaria with its town. 

 Opposite the Gulf of Cartliage Ue the two Aegi- 

 moeroi ; but the Altars, which arc more truly rocks 

 than islands, are chiefly between Sicily and Sar- 

 dinia. Some authorities state that even the Altars 

 were formerly inhabited but that their level has 

 sunk. 



VIII. In the interior circuit of Africa towards the Peopiesof 

 south and beyond the Gaetulians, after an inter- ""* '"'*^''^- 

 mcdiate strip of desert, the first inhabitants of all 

 are the Egyptian Libyans, and then the people 

 called in Greek tlie White Ethiopians. Beyond 

 these are the Ethiopian clans of the Nigritae, 



249 



