The bay is on three sides completely enclosed by cliffs and its floor is thickly covered by a luxurious growth of wild scrub—chiefly tamarisk and ghardag; numerous isolated palm trees occur, especially in the neighbourhood of the water which exists at several points. There are three particularly good springs,[25] the positions of which are shown on the accompanying maps. According to Colonel Western’s survey the water emerges at about + 20 metres. In 1899 the water of the northern spring was found to have a temperature of 26°C. On our last visit we found an artificially constructed pool of two metres diameter and a depth of 30 centimetres; on the west side of this were two springs, marked by the motion of the grey sand rising and falling in the vents, down which a stick could be easily pushed to a depth of two metres. The output of these springs together amounted to six litres a minute; the water was quite clear and although soft and rather ferruginous not by any means unpalatable (see analyses below). The pool lies on an open bare sandy spot and is surrounded by scattered bushes, none of which however are within fifteen metres; a sand dune lies 150 metres to the south-west, with bushes and seven or eight young palms. The southerly spring has an output of 21 litres a minute, and its water does not differ essentially from that of the northern spring. Rising at the foot of a palm tree it forms pools on either side; thence it flows a distance of 20 metres into an artificially constructed shallow basin 2 to 3 metres across, from which it runs away down the slope and disappears after five or six metres. The east spring, which is situated on the east side of the dunes bounding the mouth of the bay, consists of a small hole cut out in soft sand. The water seemed good, although analysis shows the salts content to be high; this spring does not run, but if emptied the hole soon refills. The remains of old buildings occur near the well, in the shape of loose roughly squared limestone blocks, broken pottery, and remains of old walls; the latter are nearly level with the ground and very thickly and solidly built. To the south of the promontory lies the so-called Little Rayan. Here there is a good deal of scrub, and water can be obtained on the lowest ground at a few metres depth, although there do not appear to be any surface springs. [Sidenote: Geology of Wadi Rayan in broad outline.]