Saiga 191 



to the eastern flunk of the Urals, while in summer it ranged so far 

 north as to come in contact with the reindeer. On the other hand, during 

 winter its southward migration brought it in contact in Turkestan with the 

 goitred gazelle. According to Dr. K. Satunin,^ small herds of saigas are 

 still to be met with in spring and autumn on the steppes of the North- 

 Eastern Caucasus, and Rossikoflf mentions their occurrence on the steppes of 

 Kama. 



Saigas have been reported to occur in Mongolia, and Prince DemidofF 

 and his party, as we are told in After Wild Sheep to the Altai and Mongolia, 

 were on the look-out for them when in that country, but failed to find any 

 evidence of their presence. 



When first turned loose, after their long journey in a small cage, in one 

 of the paddocks at Woburn Abbey, the saigas crawled about in a sadly 

 limping manner, and it was at first feared that their hind- quarters and 

 limbs were permanently injured from long confinement in a cramped space. 

 With rest and good feeding they, however, gradually recovered, and after a 

 few months appeared but little the worse for their prolonged imprisonment. 

 It cannot, however, be said that their movements at all approach those of 

 the gazelles in gracefulness. 



According to the excellent account given in Brehm's lier/ehen, much of 

 which is derived from the narrative of the old Russian naturalist Pallas, 

 saigas are essentially social animals, associating in herds, from which even 

 the old bucks do not separate themselves during the summer. Towards 

 the beginning of autumn the smaller bands collect together to form 

 immense herds, which may sometimes number thousands of individuals ; 

 these wander about together during the winter, to divide again into smaller 

 bands as spring approaches, each of which returns to its own special 

 district. Very rarely is a saiga seen alone. The members of a herd never 

 all sleep simultaneously, some remaining on guard while the remainder lie 



^ Z,oologischen 'J ahrbiich, vol. Ix. p. 310 (1896). 



