9 o TRAVELS TO THE EAST. 
with an infinite, deal of labour been hollowed out, 
for the reception of the bodies and afhes of their 
dead. The firfl objects that prefented themfelves 
to us, were an amazing number of conic urns, or 
earthen veftels, fifteen inches long, and nine inches 
diameter at the bottom. They are made of a very 
coarfe clay, burnt in the manner of our earthen 
ware, but not glazed. The opening is at the larger 
end, covered with a lid of the fame workmanfhip, a 
little raifed and cemented with mortar. In fuch 
urns as have been well preferved, is found a piece 
of middling coarfe flcafy linnen, artfully wound in 
foldings, and kept together by twine, which is 
obliquely wound over from the upper to the lower 
part. Within this linnen is preferved a quantity of 
dark grey allies, mixed fometimes with a beak or 
bone of a bird. Thefe allies, covered with the lin- 
nen, are in the fame conic form as the urn, and are 
commonly found packed clofe within it. There is 
often found a lump of allies without an urn, which 
feems to have been dellroyed by time. It happens 
fometimes, tho’ very feldom, that they find in the 
urns a bird, in which the feathers, head, legs and 
feet, and even the colours, are fo well preferved, 
as that one may know what kind of a bird it is. 
The Crane, call’d Ibis, and Cranes (Ardea Grus) are 
the only kind, as I have been told, that could be 
known again. I had not the fortune to find one pre- 
ferved, tho’ I opened many fcore of thefe pots. 1 
have been told by thofe who have found them, that 
their heads and legs have been laid under the 
wings, and thus prepared in the fame manner as 
thofe whofe allies are to be feen. There are even 
found embalmed dogs, laid in linnen. I have feen 
one in the pofleffion of the French Conful at Cairo, 
JVIr, Livencourt, which was fo well preferved, that I 
