2б2 THE KJJKU-YAMAN, OR 



not dwell on the impression these sounds produced 

 on my companion and myself. From early morning 

 till late at night we climbed the mountains in pursuit 

 of the wary animals, and at length shot an old buck, 

 whose skin we prepared for our collection. Still 

 more excitinof was the chase after the mountain 

 sheep inhabiting the Ala-shan range in great 

 numbers, especially the wildest parts of the upper 

 belt of the mountains. This animal is not much 

 larger than the ordinary sheep. The colour of its 

 Avool is a tawny grey or tawny crimson ; the upper 

 part of the face, the chest, fore part of the legs, the 

 line marking the division of the sides from the 

 stomach, and the tip of the tail, black ; the belly 

 white, the hinder part of the legs yellowish white. 

 The horns are large in proportion to their size, and 

 curve upwards from the base with points twisted 

 back. The ewes are smaller than the rams ; the 

 black marks on their bodies not so dark, and the 

 horns small and almost upright. 



The kuku-yamans live singly, in pairs, or in 

 small herds of five to fifteen. As an exception 

 they sometimes collect in large numbers, and my 

 companion once saw a herd of a hundred. One or 

 more of the males act as sentinels and protectors 

 to the rest. On the approach of danger they at 

 once give the alarm with a loud short whistle, so 

 like a man's that at first I mistook it for the signal 

 of a hunter. 



A startled sheep rushes headlong up the rocks, 

 wliicli are often quite preci])itous. and it is astonish- 



