304 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
The tribe called Madi by the Arabs give themselves the name of 
Morn, and must not be confounded with the Madis on the east of 
the Nile, or with another so-called Madi tribe on the west. 
I am not able to give the exact population of the district, but I 
have ascertained that it has diminished considerably during the 
last ten years, owing to the fact that many of the people have been 
taken away as slaves, while numbers of the young men have been 
drafted into the Egyptian army, where they have obtained a reputa- 
tion for courage, fidelity, and veracity. 
I will commence by giving a description of the way in which 
the Madi builds his hut, so that you may first see him in his home, 
and then follow him as he goes to his daily work, or enters into the 
various pursuits of a far from monotonous life. 
Habitations . — The process of constructing a hut is as follows ; — 
A circle is marked on the ground by means of a string attached to 
a stick in the centre, and in this circle poles are fixed into the 
earth. These poles are made from thick straight peeled branches of 
a tree called “pi,” and they are encircled by rows of supple 
saplings, which are tied to them at intervals of about IJ feet. 
Grass is then taken, cut the same length as the poles, about 6 feet, 
and placed upright in bundles round the framework, after which 
saplings are again tied round to keep the grass in position. The 
roof is made on the same plan, a strong circular foundation of wood 
being first put together, into which wooden rafters are fixed, and 
being brought together in the centre, are secured at their upper 
ends. Circles of saplings are fixed on to the rafters, and then grass 
is laid on, and fastened as in the case of the wall. The top 
of the roof is formed of a large bundle of grass cut even and 
bound firmly together at the lower end. A stake about 4 feet 
high is thrust through it, and then fastened on to the top of the 
roof. The loose ends of grass are then bent downwards, and 
secured to the roof, and the free end of the stake is ornamented by 
an ostrich egg and feather. 
There are no windows in these huts, and only one entrance, about 
3 1 feet high and 2|- feet wide; a door of wicker work is made 
to slide backwards and forwards inside across this entrance, and 
is kept in place by two poles fixed firmly in the ground, and tied 
at the top to the roof. 
