140 
ANIMALS IN THE PASS — THE PLAIN. 
sides, here and there, were Tuarick inscriptions ; 
but there was nothing remarkable revealed by this 
admirable geological section. It was mostly sand- 
stone for the upper strata, with narrow streaks of 
marl and chalk. Some slate was observed, and fre- 
quently our way lay over beds of red clay. An 
agreeable surprise awaited us occasionally, in the 
shape of little openings containing groups of the 
tholukh ; but the general aspect of the pass was 
horrible and desolate, and we eagerly pushed on 
towards the end. There was nothing, apparently, 
to support life ; but we found and caught a young 
fox : how the little wretch procured food was a 
mystery which our guides could not explain. How- 
ever, life no doubt had its joys for him, and we let 
him loose in the plain below. I also picked up a 
dead bird, of a species common in the desert, with 
white head or cap, and white tail, except the upper 
feathers ; all the rest, legs and bill, black. It is 
about the size of a lark, but has "a head like a black- 
bird. We supposed the one found had died from 
want of water, though it may have been killed by 
the mother of the young fox. 
On emerging from the pass at length we found 
a considerable change of level, and having advanced 
a little way turned back and obtained a splendid 
view of the walls of the plateau, which stretched on 
both sides above the plain, and thrust out lofty 
bluff promontories, as into the sea. The upper lines 
of some of them were perfectly straight, as if levelled 
