The deserts on each side of the Nile were hunted in all periods, and if we may trust the paintings in the tombs excellent sport was always to be had. The animals most commonly hunted were the =lion=, =lynx=, =leopard=, =panther=, =wolf=, =jackal=, =wild-dog=, =fox=, =hyaena=, =hare=, =gazelle=, =oryx=, =ibex=, =ariel=, and many other animals of that class. In primitive times the Egyptians caught many animals with the =lasso= (see the green slate shield exhibited in Table-case L in the Third Egyptian Room). The rope was thrown over the horns, or round the legs, of the animal, which was then easily pulled down. The weapons used in =hunting= were =clubs=, =bows=, =flint-tipped arrows=, boomerangs, and doubled-headed axes, all of which are shown in the illustrations on page 23. The indigenous ancestors of the dynastic Egyptians probably hunted the =elephant=, =rhinoceros=, and =giraffe=, but it is unlikely that many of these creatures remained in Egypt in the Historical Period. =Dogs= were employed largely in hunting, and several species are known. The most useful and valuable was the large dog, something like the greyhound, with prick ears and a long curling tail, of the same species which is used in Mesopotamia and Persia and the Sûdân at the present day, and is called _Salûḳî_. The boldness of this kind of dog, called in Egyptian _thesem_ 𓍿𓐰𓊃𓅓𓃡, is marvellous, for he will attack panthers and lions, and his fleetness is almost incredible. His speed is compared with that of a flash of light in the Book of the Dead (Chapter XXIV). The kings of the XVIIIth dynasty were great hunters, and Ȧmen-ḥetep III, who hunted from the Euphrates in the North to the Blue Nile in the South, states on his scarabs that he killed with his own hand 110 fierce lions during the first ten years of his reign. (See Table-case D, Fourth Egyptian Room, Nos. 925-929.) [Illustration: Green schist bear. Archaïc Period. [No. 10, Table-case L, Third Egyptian Room.]]