102 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 
of interest. They are mostly taken with hooks. Macgregor 
mentions small fish jumping into his canoe at Menzaleh. 
This occasionally happened to us in our punt. 
REPTILES. 
A “woiran” or Monitor Lizard was shot at Gebel-Abou- 
Feeder, fifty-six inches long. It was clinging to the base of 
the cliff. This was the largest of the tribe we saw, but 
Egypt is full of Lizards and Snakes. I believe no Croco- 
diles are found below Abou-Foeder. We saw a small one 
there, and several larger ones higher up. 
INSECTS. 
No sooner had we arrived on board our Diabeyha than 
we became aware of fleas in large numbers, which marked 
us out as their legitimate quarry. Whenever in Upper 
Egypt, owing toa head wind or for the sake of sport, we 
stopped, we became a prey to a malignant host of devasta- 
ting flies, who were not to be banished by the infusion of 
quassia, or by a nightly slaughter among their serried ranks. 
At the Faioum an alarming incursion of insects took 
place into our tents almost every evening, generally about 
eight o'clock, chiefly flying beetles of strange contour and 
vast proportions: while at Shepphard’s Hotel, night was 
rendered hideous by pertinaceous mosquitoes, which no 
amount of smoking would keep off. 
PaLM TREES. 
The common tree of Egypt is the Date Palm. Every 
Palm pays a tax to the Viceroy—not much inducement to 
the fellaheen to plant more. There is frequently so little 
soil on their roots, that it seems as if the first puff of wind’ 
