'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎435] (466/582)

DOWN THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
435
white, and varying from one to four feet in length, and from
one to four inches in circumference. These swim on the surface
of the water, sometimes coil themselves in circles, and seem to have
the same wavy motion which distinguishes the progress of snakes
on shore. Their food is probably small flies or animalcuhe found
near the surface, as these are generally seen there, though they
sometimes plunge below, at the approach of supposed danger. In
doing this, it is said that they rear their heads high out of the
water, as if to effect some change in the state of the lungs, and
dive down head-foremost in nearly a perpendicular line. These
sea-serpents differ in their appearance from those seen on the
approach to Bombay, as the latter are of a yellowish colour,
but the former are ringed black and white. Both of these, how
ever, live only within soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. , or where the depth of water
is less than one hundred fathoms, so that their habits must
sometimes lead them to the ground; and the bite of both is said
to be poisonous. In cases of irritation, those of Bombay have
been known to bite fishermen, who threw them from their nets,
and who afterwards died of the wound ; and in an experiment
made on a fowl by the bite of a small serpent found in the Per
sian Gulf, the bird died in less than fifteen minutes*
At noon we were in lat. 27° 11' north, and long. 51° east,
with a remarkable piece of table land on the Persian shore called
Barn Hill, bearing north-east, half-north ; and a notch in the high
land over Astola, bearing east-by-north, half-north, in thirty-five
fathoms water. Just below the port of Rangoon, which is imme
diately under this Barn Hill, is a port called Tauhree, or Tahiree,
where extensive ruins are spoken of, with sculptures and inscnp-
• The prognostic of approaching the river
from the bottom, and floating on the surface ; and a snn.lar P
Grace is noticed on the coast ° f ^ i s discoverable by the appear-
The approach to the bay of Ba^e (or place alB0 a i g the coa8t
sn .es there are smafler, paicr. and of
a colour approaching to gold. Ibid. p. 97.