EASTERN THEBAID. 
181 
parallel of the ancient Oxyrinchus : its ruins may 
be observed on the north of Mount Calil. The 
greater part of this arid desert exhibits no traces 
of animal or vegetable life ; the birds shun its tor- 
rid atmosphere, the serpent and the lizard aban- 
don the sands, and the red ant, which resembles 
in colour the soil on which it lives, is almost the 
only animal which seems to exist among the ruins 
of nature. At an ancient period, however, these 
deserts were productive both of precious stones 
and of the precious metals. The Arabs still re- 
tain many traditions concerning the famous mine 
of emeralds, and both Agatharchides and Diodo- 
rus mention the mines of gold. 
In barbarous countries, the route of the wander- 
ing savage is sometimes across the pathless desert 
or the forest, but his constant residence is by the 
river, or along the shore of the sea. In the east- 
ern desert of the Thebaid there are no rivers, 
though the surface of the ground is furrowed by 
torrents, and we must descend to the shore of the 
Red Sea to look for the habitations of men. The 
flat country along the shore seems to have been 
formerly denominated Hor or Horeth, signifying 
a valley or stripe of ground furrowed by torrents, 
and was the residence of the Horites or Troglody- 
tes: Hence probably Pihahiroth, llie Mouth of the 
Valley^ the name of the station of the Israelites 
before they crossed the Red Sea, and situated at 
