ASWAN 
401 
and the cliffs of rich golden sand, beyond which lies the desert. 
Here, as at Mena, it is sometimes literally possible to stand with 
one foot on cultivated land, the other on the desert. Along the line 
of demarcation, at the foot of the talus of blown sand, some traces 
of the indigenous flora persist, I noticed specially a small pink- 
flowered Papilionaceous plant (probably Lotus arahicus , Linn.), a 
coarse grass and a few Acacia bushes. The last bore evident traces 
of Lasiocampid larvae in the shape of untidy webs and defoliated 
branches. On and about the Lotus a neatly marked, but not very 
brilliant Blue was quite abundant; this turned out to be Cato- 
clirysops eleusis , Dem., a butterfly that is not common in collections ; 
its range would appear to be limited to Upper Egypt and the Sudan. 1 
There were among the more numerous Catochrysops, a few Polyomm- 
atus haeticus, and a solitary little Chilades trochilus, Erey., the latter 
was sitting head down moving its hind-wings in the characteristic 
Lycaenid fashion. A few Eromene ocellea were disturbed from the 
patches of bean and lupin. There were a few of the commoner 
Aculeates among the flowers. At the roots of grass the Beetle 
Sceliodis castaneus was in abundance. I found my first specimen of 
Scarabaeus sacer, Linn., lying on the ground dead. This beetle 
takes us back to the beginnings of history, for, as is well known, it 
was an object of worship to the ancient Egyptians. To how many 
has it occurred that its very name is a connecting link between 
Egypt, Germany, and England ? Kheper 2 is surely the same word 
as the German Kafer, and the English Chafer, and according to the 
Egyptian mythology, the Scarab God, Khepem, was the creator of 
the world. 
Here again Ohrotogonus lugubris was well protected by its cryptic 
colouring, but Ocnera hispida and Thriptera crinita sought conceal¬ 
ment under a log of wood, whereas Adesmia cothurnata , as usual, 
ran merrily over the ground, scorning any subterfuge. The Bug, 
Aspongopus vidualis , rejoicing in a fetor peculiarly its own, might 
be found in plenty under the leaves of Colocynth, Citrullus colocyn- 
this, Schr. (Nat, Ord. Cucurbitaceae), that seductive gourd which 
thirsty travellers have too often been tempted to taste. 
A visit by boat to Aisanarti Island, just below the Cataract, 
yielded a male P. baeticus, a female C. eleusis, also two females of 
the yellow, brown, and black Eumenes esuriens, Linn., a Blaps gages, 
and some even commoner things. 
January 28th. At Dakkeh (lat. 23° 15' N.), just within the 
Tropics, a somewhat greater variety of moths than usual visited the 
1 See below, p. 569. 2 The kh is a hard guttural. 
2 D 
