424- NATURAL HISTORY OF ARABIA. 



by putting a hollow reed into the aperture, and sell to 

 the druggists at Jerusalem, who are said to use it in me- 

 dicine as a strong cathartic. In the gardens of Medina the 

 ithel, a species of tamarisk, is cultivated for its hard wood, 

 of which the Arabs make camels' saddles, and every utensil 

 that requires strong handles. The burial-grounds round 

 Mecca are adorned with a low shrub of the aloe genus 

 called sabber (or patience), which is planted at the extre- 

 mity of almost every tomb opposite the epitaph. It is an 

 evergreen, requiring very little water ; and is chosen for 

 this purpose in allusion to the patience necessary in wait- 

 ing for the resurrection. Of the Mimosa genus there are 

 several species in Arabia. One of these (Mimosa selam), 

 produces splendid flowers of a beautiful red colour, with 

 which the natives crown their heads on festive occasions. 

 The flowers of another (Mimosa Lebbeck; Acacia Lebbeck, 

 Linn.) are no less remarkable for a fine silky tuft formed 

 by their pistils. There is another so sensitive that it 

 droops its branches whenever any person approaches it, 

 appearing to salute those who retire under its shade. 

 This mute hospitality has so endeared it to the Arabs, 

 that the injuring or cutting of it down is strictly prohibit- 

 ed. The pod of the syale and the tender shoots of the 

 branches serve as fodder for cattle, while the bark is 

 used in tanning leather. The leaves of the Mimosa or- 

 fora (Acacia horrida, Linn.) preserve camels' milk sweet 

 for several days ; the smoke of the wood is said to ex- 

 pel a worm, which fixes itself in the flesh of the human 

 neck and produces epileptic fits. The tamarisk is culti- 

 vated as an object equally useful and agreeable ; its shade 

 is a protection from the scorching heat of the sun; and 

 its graceful figure adorns the scenery of the country. It is 

 one of the most common productions of the desert from 

 Mecca to the Euphrates, and in the driest season, when all 

 vegetation around is withered, it never loses its verdure. 



The balessan or celebrated balsam of Mecca (the balm 

 of Gilead in Scripture) has been already noticed in the 

 Botany of Abyssinia. According to Burckhardt, Safra and 

 Bedr are the only places in Hejaz where it can be ob- 

 tained in a pure state. The tree from which it is collected 

 (called by the Arabs beshem) grows on Gebel Sobh and 

 the neighbouring mountains, and is said to be from ten 

 to fifteen feet high, with a smooth trunk and thin bark. 

 In the middle of summer small incisions are made in 



