CITET-CAT. — SCORPIONS. — FAKI. 187 All his Turkish soldiers had suffered from illness. In the neighbourhood of Kataref and Kalabatt are some powerful Arab races, the most important of which in power and greatness, second to neither the Beni-Amer nor Haddenda, is the Kabyle (tribe) Dabaina, under their present Sheik, Issa Wood Said. The Tokruri, in former days so important in Kalabatt, have been much weakened by wars with other Arab tribes, and with Churschid Pascha. The natives of Kalabatt and Kataref seem to bo much darker than those of Taka. Their dress is the usual one worn, the well-known Ferda ; the hair is frizzed and fastened in knots on the crown, as with the inhabitants of Gesira.

We gained a prize in a civet-cat, called by the Arabs kedissabat or sebat, a handsome animal, but unfortunately of an age not likely to admit of its being tamed. It is three feet in length, including its long pretty thick tail ; its feet are short, with small claws it never uses ; head long, eyes wild, ears small and thin, skin grey, with the most beauteous black spots ; tail with black and grey rings [alternately. Below the tail are placed, on both sides, the glands that contain the singular musk-smcUing substance, and these glands become, when it is excited, of a dark brown colour. The natives here, as elsewhere, value it highly, shut it up in a wicker-basket (kafass), and carefully collect its strong-smelling secretions, which arc made use of by the women for powdering the upper parts 'of their body, their necks &c., and called by them musk. Its chief food is Hesli, but it is very fond of milk.

Of reptiles, besides serpents of every size and colour, we found many scorpions, very large and half black. As such in human Ibrm may the Faki be viewed, for they act as scourges on the superstitious Mussulmen in all ways. That the Mussulmen look on many matters as aphrodisiacs, such as opium, tea, pigeons, schnaj)s, punch, &c., is only laughable ; but it is vexatious to see how the Faki cheat the sick with their so-called charms and holy relics. The Sheik Effendi, a young mauhii (writer), with the rank of major, Avas sufllering from violent fever, and, like a strict orthodox Turk, had recourse to the Faki for his cure, rather than to our (piinine pills. Now, for one of these rascals to jwrform a cure, is a long ceremony, and consists chiefly of praying Avithout intermission