FIRST SIGHT OF ANTELOPE. 31 



round the herd, slowly narrowing the circle with 

 repeated halts, or else to ride on one flank at a foot's 

 pace, gradually edging the herd towards the ambush. 



The natives have another mode of hunting 

 dzerens. A Mongol, mounted on a quiet and well- 

 trained camel, rides over the steppe. On seeing 

 antelope he dismounts, and leading his camel by the 

 bridle quietly approaches the herd, concealing him- 

 self as much as possible by keeping step with the 

 camel. At first the antelope are startled, but seeing 

 only a camel quietly browsing, they allow the hunter 

 to approach within a hundred paces, or even nearer. 

 Towards the end of summer the dzerens are very fat, 

 and are eagerly hunted by the Mongols for the sake 

 of their delicate flesh, and also for their skins, which 

 are made into winter clothing. The nomads, how- 

 ever, rarely wear the skins themselves, but sell them 

 to Russian merchants at Urga or Kiakhta. Dzerens 

 are also snared in traps made in the shape of a shoe, 

 of tough grass {dirisiLu). When caught by the leg 

 in one of these, the animal lames itself in its struof- 

 gles to get free, and is unable to move. 



The dzeren have even a more deadly enemy 

 than man in the wolves. Whole herds, according 

 to Mongol description, meet their death from these. 

 And they are also subject at certain periods to epi- 

 demics, which, as I myself witnessed in the winter 

 of 1871, commit great ravages among them. 



It was on our way to Kalgan, some 230 miles 

 from Urga, that we first saw the dzeren. I need not 

 dwell on the impression produced by the first sight 



