FAUNA AND FLORA OF SINAI, PETRA, AND WADY 'ARABAH. 39 



Rubia peregrina, Linn.; Inula viscosa, Desf.; Zollikoferia casiniancB, 

 Jaiib.; Thymelcsa hirsuta, Linn. ; Salsolarigida, Pall. ; S. inermis, Forsk.; 

 No(za spinosissima, Moq.; Polygonum equisetiforme ., J. et S.; Allium 

 sinaiticum, Boiss.; Asplenium ceterach, Linn.; Andropogon hirtus, Linn., 

 in addition to those already mentioned as reaching here a southern hmit, 

 and the Abu Kosheibeh plants, which also, as a rule, occur on Mount 

 Hon 



The majority of these additions occurred from about 3,000 feet to the 

 summit. I extract a few notes from my journal on this subject. 



At 3,000 feet Oleander and tamarisk cease, Scilla abundant; at 3,450 feet 

 Thymelaea (Passerina) first occurs ; at 3,750 feet numerous species occur, 

 as Pterocephalus, Globularia, Onosma, Juniperus, Ceterach, Cheilanthes, 

 Fagonia, Cotyledon, Capparis spinosa, Varthamia montana, Phlomis, 

 Ononis, Deverra, Moricandia dumosa, Rhamnus as I ascend ; at or near 

 the summit (4,400 feet about) are Geranium, Colutea, Pistacia, Pennisetum 

 cenchroides, Hyoscyamus aureus, Noaea, Poterium spinosum, Scilla, Malva, 

 Carex, Ephedra, Zollikoferia, Echinops, Verbascum sinuatum, Origanum, 

 Ajuga tridactylites, Arum, sp., Bryonia, Sternbergia, and Colchicum, of 

 species already mentioned. 



Of Wady Mtisa, in which Petra is situated, Irby and Mangles write : 

 ' Following this defile farther down, the river reappears, flowing 

 with considerable rapidity. Tiiough the water is plentiful, it is with 

 difficulty that its course can be followed from the luxuriance of the 

 shrubs that surround it obstructing every track. Besides the oleander, 

 which is common to all the watercourses in the country, one may 

 recognise, among the plants which choke this valley, some which are 

 probably the descendants of those that adorned the gardens and supplied 

 the market of the capital of Arabia : the carob, fig, mulberry, ving and 

 pomegranate line the river side ; a very beautiful species of aloe also grows 

 in this valley, bearing a flower of an orange hue shaded to scarlet ; in 

 some instances it had upwards of one hundred blossoms in a bunch.' 

 Several of these were not observed by us. Of the aloe I can give no 

 information. 



At Petra, 2,900 feet above sea-level by my aneroid, many of these and 

 others occurred ; the most prominent were Phlomis, Ononis, Thymelsea, 

 Rubia, Rhamnus, Pistacia, Inula, Sternbergia, Bellevallia, Rumex roseus, 



