AND LOWER EGYPT. 345 



A flock of the vultures of Egypt, to which has 

 been given, rather improperly, the name of Pha-. 

 raolis chickens *, were feasting on the putrid car- 

 cass of a dead animal cast upon the sand. 



We were detained a full hour on our passage 

 over the lake Muddle, owing to the bad construc- 

 tion of the boat. With an ordinary ferry-boat 

 we could not have taken a quarter of an hour. A 

 little before our arrival at this remnant of the Ca- 

 nopic branch of the Nile, we had encountered a 

 little camp of Bedouin Arabs, composed sirrfply 

 of four tents, under which men, women, and ani- 

 mals assembled together. The wandering life of 

 these vagrant and thievish people will not allow 

 them to continue long in one place. They pre- 

 sented us with some very bad water, which thirst 

 prompted us to swallow, and for which we paid 

 them pretty liberally. 



After leaving Muddle we regained the sea-shore, 

 along which a dike or causeway has been built, 

 in order to repel the waters, the sandy earth being 

 on a level with the sea. On this dike there are 

 turrets placed from distance to distance. We 

 quitted the road of Alexandria, and continuing to 



* Foreign birds, which have a resemblance to the vulture. 

 Art. 2. Buffon, Hist. Nat. des. 0\%.'—Vultur percnopterus. Lin. 



journey 



