FAUNA AND FLORA OF SINAI, PETRA, AND WADY 'ARAB AH. 71 



firm Roth's record. Mons. Barbey's visit (April 3) was perhaps too late 

 for the species. 



On descending even a slight distance to the east the climate at once 

 improves. Bethlehem and the neighbourhood of Solomon's Pools are 

 distinctly milder than Jerusalem. We gradually travel from mid-winter 

 into spring. Several plants met with before as we climbed out of the Ghor 

 by Widy Zuweirah, are again in flower as we descend. Fumaria, Carrich- 

 tera, Biscutella, Malcolmia, Erucaria, may be quoted. Fresh forms occur, as 

 Hypecoum procumbens, Linn.; Capsella procumbens, Linn.; Neslia panicu- 

 lata, Linn.; Hippocrepis unisiUquosa-, Linn.; Hymenocarpus circinnaius, 

 Linn.; Astragalus callichrous, Boiss.; A. sanctus, Boiss., var. ; Trigonella 

 arabica, Del.; Matricaria aurea, Boiss.; Chrysanthemum coronarium, 

 Linn.; Veronica syriaca, R. et S.; Arnebia cornuta, F. et N.; Asperugo 

 procumbens, Linn.; Emex spinosus, Camp.; Muscari racemosum, Mull.; 

 Lamarckia aurea, Moench., and others. These are mostly small bright- 

 coloured spring flowers. At about sea-level some desert species begin to 

 occur, as Zygophyllum album, Linn, (in flower) ; Prosopis Stephaniana, 

 Willd.; Reseda pruinosa, Del.; Retama retam, Forsk.; Ochradenus 

 baccatus, Del.; Tamarix gallica, Linn, van, and a few more of the 

 southern Gh6r plants. 



We are again amongst the marls, and before long those of the 600 feet 

 level, so conspicuous round the Dead Sea, can, as Professor Hull con- 

 cludes, be traced, but evidently far more completely denudated in this 

 moister and more fluviatile district. Lower marl-terraces occur, but 

 various searches failed to bring any more sub-fossil shells to light. 

 Canon Tristram has gathered at 250 feet in the marls near here shells 

 identical with those obtained by us at 'Ay<in Buweirdeh. 



The flora of this part of the Jordan Valley is to a certain extent a 

 repetition of that of the southern Ghdr, but many of the interesting 

 species are missing, and others of more familiar types take their place. 

 Widespread European species are much more numerous. Common 

 British species of Draba, Capsella, Thiaspi, Nasturtium, Rubus, Heloscia- 

 dium, Malva, Galium, Veronica, Mentha, Solanum, Lythrum, Cichorium, 

 Verbena, Euphorbia being all met with, in about the total of five species 

 in the northern Gh6r to one in the southern. Nor did the season at 

 Jericho appear to be more advanced than that at Es Safieh, 



