THE AMOUR-LITTOKAL BORDER LAND. 59 



of Eastern Siberia (v. supra), are added a few mountain forms of the Altai-Sayan system, 

 steppe forms of Mongolia, and finally, animals breeding in the Amour Territory and in Man- 

 churia. To the first belong, the musk deer (moschus moschiferus L.), roebuck (cervus capreo- 

 lus L.), badger (meles taxus Schr.), polecat (mustela putorius L.), Eversmann's marmot 

 (spermophilus Eversmanni Br.) and the rat hare (lagomys alpinus Pall.). To the second belong, 

 the korsak (canis corsac L.), steppe cat (felis manul Pall.), baibak (arctomys bobac Schr.), 

 lagomys ogotona Pall., the jerboa (dipus jaculus Pall.), tolai (lepus tolai Pall.), two species 

 of saiga (antilope gutturosa Pall., antilope crispa Temm.) and finally, the kulan or dzhigetai 

 (equus hemionus Pall.). To the third belongs the Amour raccoon (canis procyonoides Gr.), a 

 species of dur (cervus elaphus L.) and wild boar (sus scropha L.). 



The fauna of the birds which from the very nature of their mode of locomotion aie 

 capable of having the most extensive region of distribution, also here includes both northern 

 and southern forms. To the first, for example, belong the capercailzie (tetrao urogallus L.), 

 blackcock (tetras tetrix L.), hazel-hen (tetrao bonasia L.), white and alpine ptarmigan (lago- 

 pus albus Gm. and alpinus Xilss.); to the second, the steppe blackcock (syrrhaptes paradoxus 

 Pall.), black crane (grus monachus Tem.), and two more southern species of crane (grus 

 leucogrammus Pall, and grus virgo L.), the blue magpie (pica cyanea Pall.), et cetera. 



In regard to snakes and other reptiles, on the whole occurring so rarely in northern 

 Siberia, the Transbaikal country is comparatively rich. Besides the harmless snake (coluber 

 rufodorsatus Cant.) and elaphis dione Pall., there are here to be met with the extremely 

 venomous varieties, trigonocephalus intermedius Strauch and trigonocephalus BlomhofTii Boje. 

 Finally the piscino fauna on crossing the Yablonovoi range into the system of the Amour 

 completely alters its character (v. infra). 



Thanks to comparatively favourable climatic conditions and the early colonization, 

 which began here already from the end of the XVII century (in 1692 there were already 

 7,000 Russians, in 1720, 10,000, in 1740, 20,000 and in 1760, 40,000) the Transbaikal terri- 

 tory has now as many as 570,000 inhabitants, that is, above five souls to the square geog- 

 raphical mile, of whom the natives, mainly Buriatsand to a small extent Tungus, count 170,000 

 or about 30 per cent of the total population. These Buriats of Mongol race and Buddhist 

 faith, nomads within narrow limits, have here preserved, in the immediate neighbourhood and 

 communication with Mongolia, their national characters in a greater degree than In the 

 government of Irkutsk. They are here occupied chiefly in cattle rearing, while agriculture 

 occupies the first place among the Russian population. The proportion of the to^Mi population 

 in the Transbaikal country is insignificant; it does not exceed ffvo per cent; indeed there 

 are no collections at all considerable of town population except in Chita whose inhabitants 

 have now attained 13,000 souls. 



The preponderance of the rural over town industries is sufficiently indicated by the rela- 

 tion of the numbers of the population to the domestic animals reared. There are here 70 horses 

 per 100 inhabitants, with an absolute number of 400,000 head, that is, as many in proportion 

 as in Eastern Siberia. As for the relative number of horned and other cattle, the Transbaikal 

 is in this respect in the most favourable conditions compared with early colonized Siberia. 

 There are here over 100 head of horned cattle per 100 inhabitants, tlie absolute number being 



