FAUNA AND FLORA OF SINAI, PETRA, AND WADY 'ARABAH. 19 



Cotyledon umbilicus, Linn. ; Arenaria graveolens, Schreb. ; Scirpus 

 holoschcenus, Linn., Peganum harmala, Linn.; Echinops glaberrimus, 

 D.C. ; Acanthodium spicatum, Sieb., and several mosses were gathered 

 on the ascent. On such occasions as these the Bedawin made wild 

 gestures and howls as I escaped from them into gullies and up cliffs- 

 One reason of this I found to be their horror of boots, which they think 

 most dangerous to the climber. At the second pyramid, that of Cephren, 

 at Cairo, where I stole a march and reached the summit alone, the Bedawin 

 who pursued me made frantic efforts to deprive me of my boots ere the 

 descent began. I need hardly say I valued the skin of my feet too highly 

 to obey. 



In spite of the Bedawin, I followed the bent of my own botanical 

 inclinations. The mosses were the result of a detour from the beaten 

 track to a less open gully looking north. On or close to the summit, 

 7,320 feet, were Cratisgus sinaica, Boiss.; Artemisia herba-alba, Asso. ; 

 Verbascum sinaiticum, Bth. ; Ruta tuberculata, Forsk. ; Peganum hannala, 

 Linn.; Arenaria graveolens, Schreb.; Buffonia multiceps, Dene. ; Poasp. 

 (P. sinaitica T) ; and Ephedra alte, C. A. Mey., and others not recog- 

 nisable. The ascent to the summit from the convent occupied about two 

 hours. 



The most striking feature in the aspect of the flora of the upper parts 

 of Jebel MAsa, from the convent upwards, is the prevalence of the Labiate 

 and Scrophulariaceous families. Several fresh species had appeared, 

 some of these peculiar to Sinai, and others seen before were very abundant 

 here. As these orders increase, the Compositse, abundant at intermediate 

 heights, diminish towards the upper zone. The fern and the mosses 

 illustrate the cooler atmosphere of the elevated region, though their 

 immediate existence depends on unfailing springs of water. Having 

 left our party here, I descended rapidly to the convent of Deir el 'Arbain, 

 about 1,700 feet below, in the bottom of the gorge between Jebel Mtjsa 

 and Katharina. With a nimble Arab as guide we did this in half-an-hour. 

 At the convent I was transferred to another native. There was barely 

 daylight left in which to accomplish Jebel Katharina. I had arranged 

 that my camel should be in readiness here to bring me back to camp 

 at 'Ain Suweiriyeh at night. A quarter of an hour after my arrival 

 the faithful Khalil appeared, and I started at once — 1.30 p.m. — for the 

 summit. 



3—2 



