xxiv INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



Marco Polo's Tangut, and probably a part, at least, of Ala- 

 shan is identical with his district of Egrigaia, of which the 

 chief town was called CalasJian. 



Twelve days' journey to the south-east brought the 

 party to Din-yuan-ing (Wei-ching-pu of maps), the present 

 capital of the principality, where they were well received by 

 the Prince and his family, who has a deep impression of 

 the greatness of the White Khan, i.e. of the Czar. This 

 reception Col. Prejevalsky notes as the only hospitable 

 welcome that they had met with ; and he hardly records 

 any recurrence of the like. 



From this place they made an excursion into the 

 mountainous region of Ala-shan, which rises boldly from 

 the valley of the Hoang-ho ; its highest summit, which they 

 visited, reaching to 10,650 feet above the sea. 



These wooded mountains afforded the traveller ample 

 booty in his especial pursuit as a sportsman and zoologist. 

 On returning from their excursion to the capital of Ala- 

 shan, they found their means all but exhausted, and were 

 compelled reluctantly to turn their faces Peking-wards ; 

 on this journey keeping entirely to the left bank of the 

 river, and of its old deserted bed, and following in great 

 part, I have no doubt, the route of Marco Polo on his first 

 approach to the Court of the Great Khan. 



Prejevalsky, benefiting by the experience acquired on 

 these journeys, employed himself for two months in pre- 

 paring for a third expedition ; and himself acquiring at the 

 same time, by practice at the Russian Observatory, some 

 acquaintance with practical astronomy. A third start from 

 Kalgan was made in March 1872. 



They reached Din-yuan-ing on May 26, and some 

 days later having joined a Chinese caravan travelled with it 

 through Kansuh to the Lama monastery of Chobsen, about 

 forty miles north of Sining-fu, a month's journey in all. 

 From this point the Russians diverged to the mountains 

 bordering on the Tatung river for the sake of collections in 

 natural history ; and these \vere very abundant, affording 

 46 new species of birds, 10 species of mammalia, and 431 



