OPINIONS OF SPORTSMEN 193 



wolf after a heavy snowfall, or to the Tibetan with his 

 pronged matchlock — especially towards the border. I do 

 not think nyan migrate — that is, to any distance. Of 

 course they must follow the course of the seasons, and 

 seek places where grass is obtainable ; but I should say a 

 distance of twenty miles would cover the extent of their 

 migration. Wherever they are, the old rams seem to have 

 the peculiar faculty of concealing themselves from human 

 view, and it requires an immense amount of travel, and a 

 pair of good Tibetan eyes, besides a first-class pair of 

 binoculars, to spot them. General Kinloch has had a 

 good deal of experience in hunting these gigantic wild 

 sheep, and he possesses more than the ordinary faculty of 

 observation ; his opinion, therefore, should be received with 

 respect. He writes : " After a lengthened experience, I 

 can unhesitatingly affirm that there is no animal so difficult 

 to stalk as a male nyan." Colonel Ward, in his Sports- 

 man's Guide, says : " The difficulty of obtaining specimens 

 of this fine sheep is made the most of by many writers, 

 nor is it as rare, nor as difficult to obtain, as some 

 sportsmen would have us believe." The latter, too, is a 

 man of observation and experience, and I incline to his 

 opinion. The nyan to me seemed rather wanting in 

 intelligence, and endowed with his full share of ovine 

 stupidity. Once found, the ram can easily be circumvented 

 with patience and perseverance. 



I returned to Shiishal on the 20 th July, and proceeeded 

 next to my shooting ground in the Chang-chen-mo. 



13 



