FAUNA AND FLORA OF SINAI, PETRA, AND WADY 'ARABAH. ii 



Having left Widy Hamr, and crossed Sarbiit el Jemel at a height of 

 about 1,700 feet above sea-level, we came out on a wide sandy plain, 

 Debbet er Ramleh, lying about 1,700 to 1,850 feet above sea-level. This 

 is the largest expanse of sand in Sinai, and covers about thirty square 

 miles. Some very interesting species were gathered here. The two 

 species of Polycarpaea already mentioned, with the Cleome, abound. 



Seetzenia orientalis, Dene. ; Glinus lotoides, Linn, (not in flower) ; 

 Monsonia nivea, Dene. ; Paneratium Siekembergeri, A. et S. ; Danthonia 

 Forskahlii, Linn. ; Aristida plumosa, Linn. ; and A. obtusa, Del. These 

 were all obtained in flower, and the white and perfect Pancratium was at 

 its best. It is a lovely flower, and I secured many bulbs here and else- 

 where. No leaves were yet in sight, but in some cases the petals had 

 fallen, and the seed pod was filling, showing that the leaves are certainly 

 not synanthous, though appearing soon after the flowers. Plants of this 

 species subsequently growing with me did not exhibit the remarkable 

 twisting described as characterizing their leaves. On this Pancratium, 

 which was first discovered by Sickemberger near Cairo, some interesting 

 remarks will be found in Barbey's ' Herborisations,' already mentioned.* 



The Aristidae, small glaucous grasses with long feathery awns, are 

 amongst the prettiest of desert forms. 



At a lower level near this, Lycium europ(Bum, Linn., was plentiful, and 

 in full flower. It is visited by a small copper butterfly, the first of its 

 family met with, which is poorly represented in this dry region. Formi- 

 cidse and Acridiidse (ants and locusts) are perhaps the most abundant 

 insects. 



In Wady Nasb several fresh species occurred. Unrecognisable frag- 

 ments awoke my regrets at the season selected from time to time. 



The following were determined : Morettia eaneseens, Boiss. ; Astra- 

 galus sieberii, D.C. ; A. trigpnus (?), D.C. ; Crotalaria cegyptiaca, Bth. ; 

 and Convolvulus lanatus, Vahl. 



These Astragals were quite withered, and simply well-rooted bunches 

 of strong sharp spines, 2 to 3 inches long, set closely round a stumpy stem ; 

 the spines being the hardened woody mid-rib of the pinnate leaves. The 

 only evidence of their past condition lay in the slight cicatrices in the 

 spines marking the points of attachment of the fallen leaf-pinn^. Of the 



* 'Herborisations au Levant,' par C. et W. Barbey (Lausanne, G. Bridel, 1882). 



2 — 2 



