KULDJA TO URUMTSI 155 



here, but shot pone, so their species remains un- 

 decided. The first day we saw an old head of 

 about fifty inches. It was so old and broken 

 that its original thickness was merely a matter for 

 conjecture ; but the shikaris said that it was not by 

 any means a big one, and as nothing that we saw in 

 the flesh at all approached it in size, we concluded 

 that we would not assist in the extermination of an 

 animal already scarce enough. 



The sheep are darker in colour than Ovis poli, 

 while their habits more resemble those of Ovis 

 ammon (hodgsonii}. We put them down as being 

 the same sort as the ones near Jom, but of this of 

 course we cannot be sure. 



The shikaris told us that further up in the hills 

 where there are pine trees there are a few wapiti to 

 be found, but by their account not very big ones; 

 further up still there are ibex. The country we 

 were in was very bare, and we were assisted in 

 determining not to stay by the scarcity of water 

 and almost complete absence of grass. We saw a 

 good many sand-grouse about. 



We returned to our main camp, and on the iQth, 

 after saying good-bye to the Kalmaks, we started 

 on the road again. After crossing a fair-sized river 

 and some four miles of jungle, there is a sandy plain 

 right up to the town of Sikho, which lies in a de- 

 pression, and is consequently invisible until one is 

 almost at the gates. It is a fair-sized place, with a 



