THE ANOA. 



597 



repose, or when storms are threatening. At an}' sign of danger they 

 range themselves into a compact body with the calves in the centre, 

 while one or two old bulls go out to reconnoitre the enemy. At the 

 sound of a gun, they gallop away, heads down, tails raised aloft. Clouds 

 of dust envelope them as they fly along, and the earth echoes with the 

 stamping of their hoofs. When resting, the Yak prefers some cool, deep 

 glen, where it can avoid the sunshine, for it dreads heat more than cold, 

 and even when in the shade, lies in the snow. It climbs, like a goat or a 

 chamois, over the most rugged and steep rocks with complete sureness of 

 foot. " The most noteworthy peculiarity of the Yak," writes Przewalski, 

 "is its laziness. ^Morning and evening it feeds; the rest of the day it 

 devotes to repose, which it indulges in, either standing or lying. The 

 chewing of the cud is the only sign of life ; otherwise it remains as 

 motionless as a statue of stone." 



This traveler gives an account of hunting the Yak. In Siberia the 

 sportsman usually iires from a rest consisting of a long forked stick. 

 Holding erect the forked rest, and covered with a sheep-skin jacket with 

 the wool outward, he creeps near the game. The latter, probably regard- 

 ing the moving figure as a kind of antelope, remains stationary. The 

 hunter when near enough fires. The wounded Yak either turns and 

 flies, or charges the assailant. Usually after charging a few yards, the 

 animal pauses, thus offering a steady mark for the shooter. Another 

 ball is put into him. Another charge of a few )-ards succeeds, and so on 

 till the Yak falls. Its tenacity of life is remarkable. Przewalski followed 

 one till nightfall; he found it dead next morning, with three balls in its 

 head, and fifteen in its breast. To kill a Yak at the first shot is a rare 

 occurrence. The Mongols usuall)' fire in small platoons of six or eight, 

 and from behind a blind, and then follow the trail of blood left by the 

 wounded animal till it — after a day or two — dies from loss of blood. 



The Yak has been transported to Europe, and stands the change of 

 climate well. As it supplies excellent wool, savory meat, and rich milk, 

 and as it is indefatigable in labor, and satisfied with commoner food, it 

 would be a valuable addition to our stock of domesticated Ruminants. 



GENUS ANOA. 



The Anoa, Anoa deprcssicornis, is the solitary species known. For a 

 long time it was placed by naturalists among the antelopes, then it was- 



