76 Mary de la Beche Nicholl on 



years ago, this collector however seems to have confined 

 his researches to the coast and immediate neighbourhood 

 of Beyrout. The ranges of Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon 

 have been practically unknown to European collectors, so 

 I determined to spend May and June in the district. I 

 had hoped for the advantage of Mr. Elwes' companionship, 

 but a sudden outbreak of plague at Port Said interfered 

 so seriously with his journey to Beyrout, and quarantine 

 regulations made travelling so difficult, that he was com- 

 pelled to give up the expedition, which would probably 

 have produced a far more complete collection had I had 

 the advantage of his assistance. I have given the heights 

 of the principal peaks of both the Lebanon and the Anti- 

 Lebanon. I ascended all the southern summits of any note, 

 but time failed me for the' highest, the most northerly, and 

 the most interesting — Dahr el Khotib, 9500 feet, at the 

 northern end of the range of Lebanon. 



The two ranges run exactly parallel to each other, in a 

 northerly and southerly direction, and are divided by the 

 high and fertile plain of the Bekaa ; which is from ten to 

 fifteen miles in width, and forms the watershed of the 

 rivers Orontes and Litany. Seen from the Bekaa, the two 

 mountain chains resemble one another most curiously, 

 rising gradually from the plain in long stony ridges, seamed 

 with steep gullies, generally running east and west down 

 to the Bekaa. These gullies are still filled with snow at the 

 higher elevations in May and early June, giving a peculiar 

 striped appearance to both Hermon and the high Lebanon 

 peaks. Neither range falls precipitously towards the 

 Bekaa, and the lower foothills are often chalk, the higher 

 mountains are limestone, with some kind of red sandstone 

 formation cropping up in many places. The limestone 

 ridges are terribly dry, except where the elevation is 

 sufficient to ensure snow-fed streams during most of the 

 year, but the red sandstone valleys are well watered and 

 fertile. The western face of Lebanon presents a striking 

 contrast to the eastern, the mountains fall very steeply from 

 an elevation of from 5000 — 9500 feet to the sea-level, and 

 the streams cut their way through precipitous and almost 

 inaccessible gorges downwards. This steep western face of 

 the range is favoured with much more rain, mist, and wind 

 than falls to the share of the eastern side ; grass, shrubs 

 and trees flourish (but the latter are generally cut down 

 before they attain any size). 



