Wonders of the tropics; or, Explorations and adventures of Henry M Stanley and other world-renowned travelers, including Livingstone, Baker, Cameron, Speke, Emin Pasha, Du Chaillu, Andersson, etc., etc .. . swallows with delight the thorns of the acacia. In many-places a plant resembling broom grows freely; it is a long branched,almost leafless bush, much liked by camels. Shadowy groves of tamarisk, frequented by many birds and insects,often surprise us in the midst of the most barren solitudes ; and whereverthe soil has received any moisture, willows and rushes refresh the eye ofthe traveller
Wonders of the tropics; or, Explorations and adventures of Henry M Stanley and other world-renowned travelers, including Livingstone, Baker, Cameron, Speke, Emin Pasha, Du Chaillu, Andersson, etc., etc .. . swallows with delight the thorns of the acacia. In many-places a plant resembling broom grows freely; it is a long branched,almost leafless bush, much liked by camels. Shadowy groves of tamarisk, frequented by many birds and insects,often surprise us in the midst of the most barren solitudes ; and whereverthe soil has received any moisture, willows and rushes refresh the eye ofthe traveller. Cassia ranks high among the list of medicinal plants foundin the desert, and colocynth, with its creeping cucumber-like stems, filledwith fruit resembling our apple, first green and then turning yellow, isfound along all the outskirts of the valleys. The natives have a whole-some awe of the drastic remedy, and scarcely ever touch the gourd fruit;while the Bedouins remove the inside pith and seeds, and fill it with milk,to take it next day as a remedy. The date palm, it is true, is seldom seen, and then only in a half-wild-state ; but the fig tree is found laden with fruits. The fruit of the caper. GIGANTIC BEETLE. (601) •602 WONDERS OF THE TROPICS. tree tastes like an odd mixture of sugar and mustard; and the travelleris refreshed by the pleasant acid of the sorrel, the berries of .the lycium,a thorny plant. The coast flora of the desert is very peculiar, and dependsupon the salt vapors rising from the sea. The dense woods of the shore• are famous in travellers descriptions; they stand out in the sea itself,andare only dry at low tide. Ships are laden with its wood, which is usedfor fuel, and many camels live entirely on its great laurel-like leaves. Thecoast is covered in some places to great distances by saltpetre shrubs,and by many other saline plants. The traveller who is forced to provide himself with food by his rifle inthe chase devotes his attention chiefly to the
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