50 THE YURTA OR FELT TENT. 



a wide hat turned up at the brim. Shirts or under- 

 clothing of any kind are unusual ; warm trousers, 

 sheepskin cloaks, and fur caps are worn in winter. 

 In summer the dress, consisting of Chinese silk, is 

 sometimes more elaborate ; the robe or fur cloak is 

 always fastened round the waist with a belt, to which 

 are attached those invariable appendages of every 

 Mongol, a tobacco pouch, pipe, and tinder-box. 

 Besides these, the Khalka people carry a snuff-box, 

 which they offer on first meeting an acquaintance. 

 But the pride of the Mongol lies in the trappings of 

 his horse, which are thickly set with silver. 



The dress of the women differs from that of the 

 men ; their upper garment is a short sleeveless jacket 

 without a belt. The dress, however, of the fair sex, 

 and style of wearing the hair, varies in different parts 

 of Mongolia. 



The universal habitation of the Mongol is the 

 felt tent or yurta, which is of one shape throughout 

 the country. It is round, with a convex roof, through 

 an opening in which smoke escapes and light is ad- 

 mitted. The sides are of wooden laths, ^ fastened 

 together in such a way that, when extended, they re- 

 semble a lattice with meshes a foot square. This 

 frame-work is in several lengths, which, when the 

 yurta is pitched, are secured with rope, leaving room 

 on one side for a wooden door three feet high, and 

 about the same in width. The size of these dwellings 

 varies, but the usual dimensions are from 1 2 to 15 feet 



* The wood required for yurtas is mostly broug^lit from the Khalka 

 country, which abounds in forests. 



