Hunting at High Altitudes 



they inhabit the great tracts of khamish or reeds, 

 where they prey upon the wild pigs and are usually 

 taken by poison. The Belgian fathers at Kuldja 

 told us that several dozen skins are every year 

 taken in the neighborhood of Urumtse, about four 

 hundred and twenty miles to the eastward. 



Almost every chief among the Kirghiz had one 

 or two golden eagles, which they used for killing 

 game such as roe deer, foxes, and, I am told, even 

 wolves; but many of these birds seem to be 1 kept 

 more for ornament than for sport, as we never 

 could get the Kirghiz to fly them although it is 

 only fair to> say that the Fathers at Kuldja told us 

 that they had often seen them used. On the plains 

 the common little hawk, like a sparrow-hawk, was 

 often carried on the wrist. 



On the second afternoon I rode over to> a place 

 where there were said to be roe, but saw only a 

 couple of does. On the way, while riding along a 

 hillside, we saw a couple of little hawks sitting on 

 a tree some distance off, upon which my men 

 spread out, calling at the same time to the hawks, 

 which at once began flying in circles over us. As 

 at that time I could not speak a word of the 

 language, I could not imagine what was their 

 object, until a little bird was put up out of the 

 grass, when one of the hawks immediately flew at 



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