13 



islets lying in it. On the banks, around one of these islets sur- 

 rounded with mangroves, myriads of wading birds such as 

 flamingoes, curlews, plovers, &c., congregate to feed at low 

 water. The island is strewn with the bones of turtle, as the 

 inhabitants largely use that animal as food. 



Two remarkable mountains called Jebel Safian lie within a 

 mile and a half of the shore at E.as el Had, with some hillocks 

 around them. They are the only mountains at the extreme 

 eastern point of Arabia, which is otherwise flat. There are two 

 hhores leading into basins of considerable size, the soutliern and 

 eastern shores of the larger being low and swampy, and over- 

 grown with mangroves. 



This completes a rapid sketch of the coast of Southern Arabia 

 from Aden to Eas el Had, but after the latter point is rounded 

 the following are the broad features of the coast-line northwards. 

 To the west a range of mountains rises from the plain in two 

 spurs, one 2700 ft. high and close to the coast, and the other the 

 Jebel JaUan, about 20 miles inland, and 3800 ft. in height. As 

 they run north they shortly unite and continue parallel to the 

 coast, with an elevation of about 4000 ft., and are precipitous 

 towards the sea, from which they are distant nearly eight miles. 

 About 70 miles north of this, the range is suddenly interrupted by 

 a narrow gorge known as the Devil's G-ap, which is the opening 

 of a great valley called Makallah Obar, that runs up to the moun- 

 tains of Oman. The range on the north of the gap rises suddenly 

 to 6228 feet above the sea, and trends to the north-west, with a 

 maritime plain between it and the shore ; but within fourteen 

 miles of Maskat the shore-land becomes a confused mass of hills 

 and ridges with escarped precipices. To the west of Maskat the 

 main range is 40 miles inland, and 6000 ft. high. It is prolonged 

 under the name of Jebel Akhdar, to Cape Massendam, at the 

 southern entrance to the Persian Grulf. 



Maskat has become weU known as a locality for reptiles 

 through the energetic labours of Dr. Jayakar. It is rich in 

 reptilian life, but probably not more so than the area between 

 Makallah and the Hadramut. 



The diversity of the physical characters of South-East Arabia 



as seen in its generally barren maritime plain, varied occasion- 

 ally, however, by the presence of tamarisks, acacias, and palms • 

 its cultivated and watered valleys running to the south from the 

 sterile mountain plateau, with nooks of sparse vegetation at 



