it 3 THE NATURAL HISTORY 
called mala infana ; thefe I found in plenty about 
Jericho, in the vales near Jordan, not far from 
the Dead Sea. It is true, they are fometimes 
filled with a dull, yet this is not always the cafe, 
but only when the fruit is attacked by an infect 
(tenthredo) which turns all the infide into duft, 
leaving the fkin only entire, and of a beautiful 
colour. 
Nux Behen. Balfamum Aaraonis. 
The oil of behen, which emits no fcent or fmell at 
all, is very proper for prepaiing odoriferous oint- 
ments and balfams. On this account it is much 
ufed by the inhabitants of the Eaft, who lay flow- 
ers of jeffamine, narciflus, &c. in this oil, and 
thus make an odoriferous ointment, which thole 
who love perfumes apply to the head, nofe and 
beard. And this is undoubtedly that with which 
Aaron, as is Lid in the Scriptures, ufed to anoint 
the head, and David fo much praifed on account of 
its agreeable fcent. , 
This tree grows in Mount Sinai and Uppe r 
Egypt. The Arabians call it feftuck el Ban. 
Rhamnus fpina Chrifti. The Egyptian buck' 
thorn. 
CEnoplia fpinofa, Cafpar Bauhin. 477. 
Nabca Paliurus athenai, Alpin. iEgypt. 16. * 9 * 
The Naba or Nabka of the Arabians. 
In all probability this is the tree which afford^ 
the crown of thorns put on the head of Chri t $ 
grows very common in the Eaft. This plant v j 
very fit for the purpofe, for it has many 1 
