LEAVE ROKCHEN 165 



lounging about, but many were absent on trading business. 

 I met here the gentleman who had come over the Shingo- 

 la and through part of Zanskar. He got some ibex and 

 burhel. He said the Zanskar country he passed through 

 was full of ibex — he counted more than sixty on one hill- 

 side. This secluded valley seems to be rarely visited by 

 sportsmen. This gentleman came all the way from a 

 cantonment near Calcutta only on four months' leave ; he 

 marched in by Kulu and Lahoul, intended shooting about 

 Hanle, and would return by Spiti and Simla to Calcutta — 

 a good round journey. ISText morning we started together 

 with our traps, but soon parted ; my friend went off to 

 the right front, while I continued down to Tso-kar, or 

 salt-lake, and camped at the farther end, where thei'c was 

 a little fresh water and some grass. This was a very 

 short march, but I was greatly exhausted, as most of the 

 walking was over a dead sandy plain. The lake at this 

 time was in the form of a crescent. It must have been 

 enormous at some time, the shores being the edges of the 

 surroundin" hills, along which the water-line is visible 

 in many places. It was now shrunk to the lowest level 

 of the valley. Numbers of sheldrakes frequented the 

 lake ; these ducks spent a great deal of their time on the 

 ridge overhanging the west margin of the lake. As this 

 was their breeding-time, they had evidently built their 

 nests high up on tlie hillside. I was not aware that 

 this was their habit, and I have not seen it mentioned 

 in any book on natural history : to verify my conjecture 

 demanded more climbing than I was equal to ; but all 

 appearances were in favour of it. These birds were more 

 noisy than usual. There were also a few geese on the 

 lake ; these must have been weak or sickly birds, which 

 were unable to continue their flight to Central Asia. 

 The prospect from my tent door was a blank sandy plain ; 



