260 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



In every respect its habits and general characteristics 

 resemble those of the Poli of the Turkestan Pamirs 

 and the Hodgsoni of Tibet. The male stands about 

 48 inches at the shoulder, but is more stoutly built 

 and heavier than the Poli. Hair coarse, short, and 

 light coloured in the summer, but in the autumn the 

 coat becomes longer and darker in colour. The 

 female resembles the Poli in every respect except 

 that the horns are slightly longer. In the summer 

 the adult males herd away from the females. 



Curiously this sheep was very little known about 

 fifteen years ago, and the splendid hunting grounds 

 of the Altai were untravelled by the sportsman. 

 Some years ago a great traveller of the name of 

 Ney Elias told me that he had travelled from Pekin 

 across the Gobi desert, and struck the Altai range 

 at a place called Kochagatch, situated on the head- 

 waters of the Katun river, one of the confluents of 

 the Obi. He said that on the Mongol side of the 

 range he saw herds of large dark-coloured sheep. 

 As it was winter, the snow deep, and he wished to 

 get on, he did not stop to hunt them. On this 

 information I organised an expedition with a view 

 of verifying his account. After some little trouble 

 I got the necessary permit from the Russian Govern- 

 ment, and in the month of June I arrived in Moscow 

 bag and baggage. In those days the Siberian Railway 

 was open for traffic only as far as Omsk, which place 

 I reached in due course. There I purchased a 

 tarantas to carry myself, my kit, and my servant 

 (a Lette from Riga, who spoke German and Russian). 



