The Avifmina of Palestine, out of 348 kno^vn species, present 271 Paliearctic, 40 Ethiopian (10 of these also Indian), 7 Indian, and 30 peculiar to Syria. But they are not equally diffused over the T-hole area. The Pala2arctic species almost all belong to the coast area, and the highlands east and west of Jordan, while the Ethiopian and Indian types are almost exclusively confined to the deep depression of the Jordan and Dead Sea basin, which, with the exception of some winter migrants, affords us very few Paloearctic species. There are 11 species belonring to as many different genera peculiar to the Jordan and Dead Sea basin, and not yet traced beyond its limits. Some of these belong to genera exclusively Ethiopian, most of them common to the Ethiopian and Indian regions. The avifauna of the Jordan and Dead Sea basin ia decidedly distinct and typical in its species, reveal- ing sometimes Indian, more generally African affinities.
Of the 3000 species of phanerogamic plants, the larger proportion consists of the common Medi- terranean forms. Sir J. Hooker has remarked that though a vast number are common to the whole country, yet there is a great and decided difl'er- ence between the floras of such localities as the tops of (1) Lebanon, (2) Carmel, and (3) the hills border-
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ing the Jordan. Of 162 species of plants in M'dc/y Zuiixircli (S. W. corner of Deuil Sea), 27 are couimoii European forms extending to Northern India, the remaining 135 are African. Although the Dead Sea flora bears a very strong general similarity to that of Arabia Petnea, yet there can be no question of its distinctness from the adjacent floras of the same latitudes east and west of it.
In the Jordan Valley the Cyperus papyrus is locally abundant, and covers many acres in the marshes of lliilch, though long since txtinct in Egypt, and not known in Africa farther north tlian on the \N'hite Nile, lat. 7° N. C'ldotropis procera and Salvadura persica are never found except close to tlie Dead Sea, at En-gedi, Salieh, and Seisaban, and are separated by many degrees of longitude and latitude from their otht-r known liabitats.
The flora of the Salt Sea area is remarkable for a small avera;,'o number of species distributed through a large number of orders. We may infer that in this borderland of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the more hardy and accommodating plants of each area bold their own, while those more readily affected by variation of soil or climate disappear.
The following plants and trees of the Jordan Valley are most common : the Zyzyphiis Spina Christi, or nuhk or d6m tree of the Arabs (whicli seems to correspond to tlie ' wait a bit ' bushes of South Africa in its power of detaining the unwary traveller). It has a small sub-acid fruit like a tliorn ap]>le, very agreeable to the taste. The Itctm or Genista liwtem, broom plant, grows freely on the plain. There is also the Balanites jT-gyp- tiaca, a thorny tree with large olive-like fruit, which allords the oil called zitkkum or Zuk by tlie Arabs, supposed to be balm of GUead, and sold to the pilgrims as such. It is highly prized among Arabs and pilgrims !us a remedj' for wounds or bruises ; the latter call it ' Zaccheus oil ' (BUP- i. 560). The castor-oil plant and the oleander flourish about Jericho. Tamarisks grow everywhere, on the banks of the streams and in the dry desert ; and the Agmis Casti, a large flowering bamboo. The acacia tree grows in great variety, also the Populus Euphratica on the banks of the Jordan. The caper plant hangs down from the rocks, with its deli- cate wliite blo8.<<oms, and the Solanum Sodomceum or Dead Sea apple, with its bright yellow fruit, is very conspicuous. Numbers of thoroughly tropical plants and trees abound — the Zyguphyhum eocci- neum, Bcerhavia, Indigojira ; also on tlie shore of the Salt Sea the Calotrupis procera {'osher among Arabs), a beautiful green fruit tiie size of a peach, with nothing inside but the silky coma of the seeds J it reaches a height of 15 ft., and grows freely in Upper Egypt, Nubia, and Arabia Felix.
The principal larger wild animals of the Jordan Valley are the jackal, fox, liy.ena, boar, ibex (6c(/e>i), and leopard. The leopard (ninir, fclis parilus) is found in the Jordan jungle ; the writer sent one to Enu'laiid from the banks of the Jordan in 1867. The clieetah (fclis jiibata) is found ?.~ ong the hills, and is t-anied by the McsleniB of Syria and u.sed in hunting gazelles. Lions are saiu not to exist in Palestine, though they are found not far to the ea.st in the desert and in the jungle of the Eu|)hrates. They are still, however, supposed bj' the iiiliiibitants of the Anti-Lebanon to pay visits jieriodically to the neighl>ourliood ; and in 1S69, owing to the loss of four chililreii, one by one, at the village of Hurkush, search was made for the supposed lion by the inhabitants without avail (PEFSt, 1870, 226). The lion coining up from the thickets of the Jordan is gjioken of in Jer 40" BO".
The birds in the .lordan Valley vary very much according lo the time of year, those of the hill- country being driven down there for a short time in