The huge hill-mass near the east scarp, north of the latitude of Ain el Haiss, is of blackened sandstone, like most of the hills near it; some of those west of it are, however, white, owing to a capping of limestone, and these stand out in striking contrast to the others. No purpose would be served by a detailed description of the smaller hills; their positions will be evident from the map (Plate I), and except in the case of the larger ones, there is a great monotony of form, nearly all the smaller hills being conical. One of the most striking conical hills is seen near the west scarp in lat. 28° 26′ N. (10 kilometres north-east from El Qasr); this, however, is a limestone-capped hill, thus differing from the numerous cones in the south part of the oasis, which are mostly capped by hard dark ferruginous quartzites and sandstones. _The Floor of the Oasis._—The lowest part of the oasis-floor appears to be in the neighbourhood of El Qasr, where the altitude above sea-level is about 113 metres. Mandisha lies somewhat higher, and the hamlet of Harra, with the springs Ain Gelid and Ain Haswi lie on a level tract some 134 metres above sea-level. Ain el Haiss, according to the Survey’s barometric comparisons with Cairo, has an altitude of 156 metres above sea; as Jordan’s determination, however, gave only 122 metres, there is some little uncertainty about the actual altitude of this point. As might be expected, the lowest parts of the oasis-floor are those where springs abound; in the neighbourhood of the hills and escarpments there is always a gradual upward slope towards the bases of the hills and plateau. The major part of the oasis-floor is flat or gently undulating ground of sandstones and clays, strewn with fragments of rock derived from the hills; large areas, however, are overgrown with grasses and scattered bushes, notably to the north and west of the villages, in the neighbourhood of Ain Gelid, south-east of Jebel Hefhuf, and in the vicinity of Ain el Haiss; while other extensive tracts north of the villages, as well as south-east of Mandisha and between Harra and Ain Gelid, are covered by salty marshes, now partly dried up. The white salty crusts on the ground at these places give them a striking appearance, like a slightly rough glittering sheet of water. The tracts north of Zubbo and near Harra still contain much water and salty sludge; travelling over them needs great caution, as the dry crust will often support the weight of a man, while a camel sinks through into the soft mire beneath. Sand-accumulations do not cover such large tracts in Baharia as in the southern oases; there are, however, some small dunes around the cultivated lands of Mandisha and Zubbo, as well as on some of the hill-sides; the dunes support a scanty growth of tamarisk-bushes.