74 LEFEBVRE ON MANTIS. 



Farafrea, Daket, and Khardjeh, it ranks third in importance, 

 for by its different productions, and especially dates, it 

 brings in at least 200,000 francs per annum to Hassan Bey, 

 governor of Upper Egypt, who now holds it, and who reduced 

 it, fifteen or sixteen years ago, to the yoke of the pacha, by 

 exterminating the robbers whose resort it was. 



It consists of four principal villages, which, together, contain 

 about 2000 souls : viz. Zabou and Mendisch on one side, and 

 Qasi and Baoneit on the other, separated by a ravine and a 

 high promontory of granitic, silicious, and basaltic formation. 

 Under the thick forest of dates which shadows them, may be 

 found some of our European plants, intermixed with those 

 peculiar to Africa, — there may be seen the peach, the apricot, 

 the almond, the olive, the vine, the Indian fig, and some of 

 our esculent vegetables. 



The thermal waters, warm and ferruginous, (one only is 

 cold and sulphurous,) rising often to 3o° Reaumur, flow every 

 where over the native soil, and unite to form the frequent mo- 

 rasses, where you may see in profusion the MoUiisca, the 

 splendid Ampullana carinata, and, in insects, the pretty 

 Gyrinus JEtwus, &c. 



This oasis, like another small one (the Oasis of Hanab, 

 which is uninhabited,) contiguous to it, is protected on the 

 west by immense hills of sand raised by the west wind, which 

 is most prevalent there, and renders the place more healthy. 



It affords few cultivated spots of great extent, and, except 

 the fields of bai'ley, lupins, and rice, it consists only of an 

 infinite number of small gardens, enclosed by hedges through 

 which it is difficult to pass. 



The greater part of our birds of passage, both land and 

 water, are to be found there : the dangerous Cerastes, the 

 Scincus officinalis, Sphcetwps Capistrata, and other reptiles, 

 abound. Of insects, some of our species will be seen on the 

 wing, in company with those essentially Egyptian. Thus, in 

 Lepidoptera, you will observe Pieris Brassicce and Daplidice, 

 mingling with Danais C/trysippus, Argus Lysimon, T/ieo- 

 phrastes, &c. ; however, the nocturnal ones offer more species 

 exclusively African. In Coleoptera, Graphipterus variegatus, 

 Ant/da Marginata, and numbers of Pimelece and Erodites, 

 inhabit the sand-hills, whilst Cleonus Clathratus, Brachycerus 

 Africanns, &c. are frequent in the cultivated grounds, with 



