any Mooselmin., As they destroy beetles and vermin, they are certainly entitled to the deference paid to them ; and are canonized, perhaps, from having visited the tomb o f Mohammed. File Owl. T he owl o f Africa (called Muka) is similar to that of Europe, having the eye o f a bright yellow. T he screech owl (called Saher) is an ominous bird, and is superstitiously thought to be the forerunner o f e vil. FISH. T h e same va rie ty o f fish that is found in the Mediterranean is caught on the shores o f West and South Barbary. O f the fresh water fish, Shebbel— is in most request; it is similar to our salmon, but neither so large nor so red in the flesh, though extremely rich and delicate. Immense quantities are caught in the rivers o f Barbary, particularly in those o f El Kos, Mamora, Tensift, and Suse : they are salted, or baked and preserved for the supply o f Bled-el-jerrede, and other places o f the interior, even as far as Soudan; but the greatest consumption o f the dried shebbel is in Bled-el-jeriede, where the inhabitants liv e lor the most part on dates, as these fish are accounted a corrective o f any ill effects produced from eating immoderately o f that fruit. T h e people who catch the shebbel g iv e to the Emperor a per centage b y w a y o f d u ly . T he re is a v e ry considerable fishery on this coast, managed b y the Spaniards from the Canary Islands, which extends from la t. N- 2 0 ° j O ' to lat. N. 2U°, being nearly 6 0 0 miles, and abounds in all kinds o f excellent fish ; as there is at present no town, v illa g e , or fixed habitation on the coast, within the district above mentioned, the Spaniards fish unmolested; neither do cruizers eve r approach these parts, except b y accident, so that the fishermen are secure from capture. In the spring and summer the fish are said to abound on the northern part o f this extent o f co a s t; and as the autumn approaches, they go gradually so uhward. W h ilst I was established at Agadeer, I saw many kinds o f cu r ious fish w hich I have n ev e r seen in any other part o f A frica or Europe. Whales.— About the coast o f Africa,'from Agadee r to Arguin, whales are frequently cast on shore,* deluded, perhaps, like th e unfortunate mariners, who being led away imperceptibly by the impetuosity of a deceitful current, are ashore before the y are aware o f being even hear the land. Whenever the whale is cast ashore, ambergris is found on the shore, and is brought to A gad ee r for sale. T he Moors being ve ry partial to this perfume,, consume all that comes to m a rk et; so that none is sent to Eu rope. It is called in Arabic El Amber, and is supposed to possess highly stimulating qualities, for which purpose it is. often infused in tea b y the African A rab s, Moors, and others. * During my stay at Messa, I saw two enormous jaw-bones of a whale erected in the form of an arch, and on enquiring how they came there, was infqrmed that they had been there (min zeman) from time immemorial, and that the fish was thrown on the shore, having a man in his belly, whose name was recorded to be Jonah. Having laughed heartily at this whimsical story, i was surprized to find* my informant not only very serious, but desirous to impress my mind with a belief,, that there was no doubt of the fact. It has been handed down, said he, by tra-r dition, and nobody but a Christian would doubt the fact r See Brookes’s Gazetteer, title Messa.
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