Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/737

/LNCIENT INHABITANTS.] EGYPT of water caused by the inundation, and the mountains near the river, are the favourite resorts of many kinds of wading and of web-footed birds. Of the waders the most interesting would be the sacred ibis of Egypt, if that bird be now found there. But it does not appear certain that only one species was anciently held sacred, and if so that this is the Ibis religiosa of Cuvier now known in Egypt. The Egyptian plover is famous on account of the story, which modern observation has con firmed, related by Herodotus respecting it and the croco dile. Among the most common waders are the spur- winged plover, the snow-white egret, which has been erroneously called the ibis, and the pelican. The cormorant, too, is often seen, as are wild geese and ducks, both of several kinds. Of the many reptiles the crocodile occupies the first place. It is seldom observed in the present day in Upper Egypt. Some years ago it was usual south of Asyoot to see several crocodiles basking in the sun in the heat of the day on a sand-bank; at the approach of a boat they would quickly plunge into the stream. They rarely attack a human being, but it is unwise to bathe in the river at places where they are reputed to be fierce, and to bathe at any distance from a boat in the part of Upper Egypt where they are found. It is said that the Crocodile s common mode of attacking a person on shore, who is near the river s edge, is to approach stealthily and sweep him into the stream by a blow of his tail, the great weapon of all the lizard-tribe. The smaller sauriaris are found in great numbers : of these a species of chameleon may be mentioned. Serpents and snakes are among the most common reptiles, and are of various kinds, including the deadly cerastes and cobra di capello. The house snakes, however, which are numerous at Cairo, are harmless. Fishes abound in the Nile and in the Lake Menzeleh. The modem inhabitants of the country are partial to fish as food, but they say that only those fishes which have scales are wholesome. The fishes of the Nile are generally insipid in comparison to those of the sea ; though a few of them, particularly the bulteo (Labrus niloticus, Linn.), the kishr (Perca nilotica), and the binnee (Cyprinus bynni, Arted.), are of a delicate flavour. One of the commonest insects is the dangerous scorpion. Its sting is very painful, and, if no remedy is applied, sometimes fatal, particularly if a person is stung in the heel. 1 Large spiders are abundant, including more than one species of solpuga, incorrectly called tarantulas by the Europeans, and believed by the natives to be very venomous, but this is most likely an error Egypt has ev:r been famous for what may be termed insect-pfagues, but not to the extent that has been asserted by some modem travellers. Caution will enable one partially to escape the attacks of fleas and bugs, and altogether to avoid the more dreaded insect usually spoken of with them. Beetles of various kinds are found, including that which was anciently held sacred, the scarabaeus. Locusts are seldom seen, and very rarely in large numbers. When, however, such is the case, they commit great havoc in the fields and gardens, reminding one of the account of the plague of locusts which preceded the Exodus, and the re markable passage in the book of Joel (ii. 1-11) describing an invading army as a destructive flight of locusts. Some times they merely cross the valley of Upper Egypt, and leave the mark of their passage in desolated fields, entirely stripped of verdure; and at other times they spread them selves for days, or even weeks, over the cultivated lands, committing fur more extensive mischief. 1 A little ipecacuanha, made into a paste with water and applied externally to the place stung, has produced, in the many instances in which the writer has known it used, almost iustaut relief. Bees are kept in Egypt, and their honey is much prized by the inhabitants, who usually eat it in a clarified state. It is inferior to that of England, and also to the famou.- Greek honey. Butterflies and moths of many kinds are observed in the fields. There are plantations of mulberry trees in the eastern part of Lower Egypt, for the rearing of silk-worms. The manufacture of silks w r as a Government monopoly, but has lately ceased to be so. The silks of Egypt are generally inferior to those of Syria and other Eastern countries, though some have been produced of great excellence. Among the other insects may be men tioned the common fly, rightly deserving a place among the plagues of Egypt, as doec also the mosquito, which, how ever, is not found throughout the country. Ancient Inhabitants. In the following remarks on the ancient Egyptians great assistance has been derived from the valuable work of Sir Gardner Wilkinson on their Manners and Customs, which has made us better acquainted with them than we are with any other people of antiquity. From the representations of their monuments, and from the mummies which have been unrolled, we can form an accurate idea of the personal characteristics of the ancient Egyptians. In consequence of a misconception of a passage in Herodotus (ii. 104), and confused notions respecting the inhabitants of Africa, it has been often sup posed that the Egyptians were very nearly allied to the negro race. A careful examination of the most distinct data in our possession has, however, produced a far different result; and it is now acknowledged that they were morn related to the Caucasian than to the negro type. It has also been shown that most of the modern inhabitants have preserved many of the characteristics of their ancient pre decessors, and that it is, therefore, erroneous to suppose that they are chiefly of Arab origin, although the intermix ture of Arab blood has so much changed the national type that it would not be safe to describe the earlier people from the appearance of the present. Neverthe less, one is often struck, among the remains of ancient monuments, by the similarity of an early representation to some one of the natives standing by, priding himself upon an Arab origin, and repudiating the reproach that he is of the race of Pharaoh. Judging from the monuments and mummies, the coun tenance of the ancient Egyptians was oval, and narrower in the case of the men than of the women. The forehead was small and somewhat retiring, but well-shaped ; the eyes large, long, and generally black ; the nose rather long, and with a slight bridge; the mouth expressive, with rather full lips, and white and regular teeth; the chin small and round, and the cheek-bones a little prominent. The hair was long, full, crisp, somewhat harsh, and almost always black. The beard was worn in so artificial a mode that one cannot judge whether it was full or not. The skin of the men was dark brown ; that of the women varied from olive to pink flesh-colour in different persons. The colour of the women was natural, and the darker hue of the men the result of exposure to the sun, and tlir: scantiness of their clothing explains why their faces were not darker than the rest of their bodies. The dress of the ancient Egyptians did not much vary at different periods. Under Dynasty IV. it was, however, simpler than under the Empire. As most monuments re main of the Empire, the dress of the inhabitants at that time will be described, and this description will apply, in its main particulars, to the earlier and later times of their ancient history. The men of all classes either had shaven heads, with skull-caps, or wore their own hair, or wigs, very full, and in numerous plaits or curls, falling to the shoulders, but sometimes much shorter and in the form of a bag ; thero

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