BISKRA 
157 
of horse or ass, had a surprisingly small body and a quite charming 
head. When carried in my arms and petted it gave vent to all 
the grunts and gurglings of its native language, but in a childish 
treble, and was altogether a most fascinating little beast. Perhaps 
it differed most from its hideous mother in that it had a new coat 
of its own, whereas nearly all other camels whose acquaintance I 
have made seem to wear second-hand clothes, and bad at that. 
The spurs of the Aures mountains, themselves a part of the 
great Atlas range, which shut in the view towards the north with 
a wall of from 1000 to 2000 ft. in height, backed by higher ridges 
and peaks ranging to 6700 and even 7700 ft., are for the most 
part bare and devoid of obvious vegetation, and though brilliant with 
varied colour—-especially under the glow of sunset—suggest the 
extreme of desolation. A closer inspection, however, reveals a 
greater number and variety of plants than would have been expected; 
these are mainly to be found in the small Wadis or watercourses 
(now dry) that score the hillsides. This vegetation spreads to a 
greater or less extent over the higher portions of the desert, but the 
year of my visit was an exceptionally dry one, and stretches of land 
in more favourable seasons carpeted with flowers were then so 
barren that the Bedawin expected to lose many camels from 
starvation. 
The spring of 1905 was unusually cold throughout the Mediter¬ 
ranean basin, and patches of snow which during the greater part of 
our stay were to be seen on the higher mountains, naturally cooled 
down the prevalent north-westerly wind. One morning is firmly 
impressed on my memory; I left the hotel before 8 a.m. to walk to 
Fontaine Chaude with the keen blast full in my face; my hands 
were visibly blue, while I felt assured that nose and ears were of a 
tint to match, yet at the same time the morning sun beat full upon 
my back, so that I was grateful for my light sun-helmet. Under 
such circumstances the strain on the vaso-motor system in its 
endeavours to maintain the normal temperature of the body must be 
excessive, its anterior and posterior portions respectively having 
inconsistent demands made upon them. 
The bed of the river was for the most part dry when I saw it. 
Along its banks runs the Oasis of Biskra, while other oases are 
visible to the east and south as dark patches on the desert, like 
islands on a sea. As the sun rises and warms the desert, and the 
layers of air in contact with it, these dark patches are seen to rise 
from the earth, and appear to float on the further side of non¬ 
existent lakes. This phenomenon, due to refraction, is well known 
