THE DESERTS OF WESTERN EGYPT 



D. T. MacDOUGAL 



Desert Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona 



The traverse from the Red Sea brought us to Atbara on the 

 east bank of the Nile late in January, 1912. The brief examination 

 made of the mountainous area between the river and the Red Sea 

 had sufficed to give a comprehension of the general features of a 

 diversified arid area with definitely recurring periodic rainfall. 

 It was next proposed to visit some part of the interior desert 

 with its unrelieved topography and continental climate. Pre- 

 paratory to this move the Nile was first followed up by rail to the 

 confluence of its two main branches, the Blue and the White Nile 

 at Khartoum. The region here lies within sixteen degrees of the 

 equator and receives but 2.5 to 6 inches of rain with the result 

 that pronounced aridity is prevalent. 



Alany considerations had led to the conclusion that Luxor on 

 the lower Nile would be the most advantageous place from which 

 to start into the Saharan region, and we made our way down to 

 that place by rail and steamer, in such manner that many stretches 

 of the country were observed as closely as necessary for our pur- 

 poses, and the effects of the flooding due to the formation of the 

 great lake in the river above the Assouan dam were noted. 



The final plan fixed upon for the remaining field work entailed 

 making a great loop to the westward from Luxor, tracing a C- 

 shaped course through the Libyan desert and coming back to the 

 Nile two hundred miles lower down. All negotiations having 

 been completed, we left the river at Owasla-el-Wahat, 100 miles 

 below Luxor, on a train that ran over the government narrow 

 gauge railway a hundred and fifteen miles across the eastern table 

 land of the Libyan desert down into the basin or depression which 

 lies the various little towns of the oasis of Kharga (pronounced 

 'Harga). A caravan had been organized against our coming at 



291 



THE PLANT WORLD, VOL. 16, NO. 11, NOVEMBER, 1913 



