108 The Wilson Bulletin — No. 96 



same as in the clays of Christ, or David, or Abraham. To 

 have seen more of these and less of the filth and beggary of 

 Jerusalem along with its preposterous shams and make- 

 believe antiquities would have been more to my taste. 



The antiquities that Jaffa exhibits to visitors are " the 

 house of Simon the Tanner," and " the tomb of Tabitha." 

 The guide-books state that the house bears evidences of an 

 existence no greater than a century. It has a well with a 

 curious windlass, and a fine view may be obtained from the 

 house-top, making some slight reward for a visit to it. With- 

 out peradventure " the tomb of Tabitha " is a genuine tomb, 

 and it may have been the final resting-place of a woman, 

 whose good works rivaled those of Dorcas of old. Death 

 has claimed many such women in various lands though the 

 paths to their tombs may not lie between rows of beautiful 

 cypress trees, and past a Russian church that shows a clean 

 and inviting interior. During a drive among the orange 

 groves of Jaffa we saw some of its far-famed fruit hanging 

 in very small trees ; at least they were small when compared 

 with American orange trees. These oranges, very large and 

 of most delicious sweetness and flavor, were sold in baskets, 

 that held about a peck, for the small sum of twenty-five 

 cents. Bird life, however, appeared very scarce, with only 

 the Fantail Warbler in the trees and Swallows overhead. But 

 the harbor of Jaffa a week later afforded us the single orni- 

 thological thrill felt in Palestine. We were taking our places 

 in a row-boat preparatory to embarkation on a steamer going 

 north, when there flew directly over us a great flock of Com- 

 mon Herons (Ardea cinerea) in three groups. There were 

 from six hundred to eight hundred birds according to the 

 estimate of several of our party. 



Nearly half of the fifty-three miles of railway journey 

 from Jaffa to Jerusalem lies in a southwestern direction 

 across the Plains of Sharon. For a short distance the road 

 runs amidst orchards, whose trees were then in full bloom. 

 The orchards were succeeded by grain-fields, in some of 

 which the grain was coming up, while in others it had at- 



