viii CONTENTS OF 



CHAPTER VI. 



NORTHERN TIBET, 



PAGE 



The Burkhan Buddha mountains ; the effects of a rarefied atmo- 

 sphere — M. Hue's ' vapours of carbonic acid gas ' — The Nomo- 

 khun stream — The Shuga mountain range and river — Tibetan 

 frontier— The Urundushi mountains — Sources of the Hoang-ho, 

 and pilgrimage thereto — The Baian-kara-ula range — Character 

 of the desert plateaux of Tibet — Extraordinary exhaustion pro- 

 duced by exertion at high altitudes — Caravans to Lhassa — 

 Time occupied on the journey — Dangers and hardships of the 

 road — Abundance of animal life— Mammals — The wild yak ; 

 its habits ; its physical defects and low intelligence ; disease to 

 which it is subject — Wild yak shooting — The animal hard to 

 kill — Grandeur of the sport — Mode of stalking — They rarely 

 charge — Examples of yak-shooting — The yak-meat — The white- 

 breasted Argali — The Orongo {Antilope Hodgsoni) — Large 

 herds of these antelope — Their unwary habits — Held sacred by 

 Mongols — Unicorns — The ata-dzeren, or little antelope — Its 

 amazing swiftness — The Tibetan wolf {Lupus Chancd) — The 

 fox {Canis Corsac) — Birds of Northern Tibet — Progress of 

 journey — Travelling yurta — Intense cold — Tattered garments — 

 Rarefied atmosphere — The halt — Preparing dinner — Long 

 nights — Sport on the plateau — Climate — Dust storms — Chu- 

 tundzamba — Arrival at the Murui-ussu — Limit of the expedition 

 — Necessity for return .174 



CHAPTER VII. 



SPRING ON LAKE KOKO-NOR AND AMONG THE KAN-SU 

 MOUNTAINS. 



Return to Tsaidam — Influence of its warmer climate — Spring in 

 Tsaidam — Migratory birds — Spring in Koko-nor — Mirages — 

 Shooting excursions — Fishing — Thaw on lake — Scarcity of 

 birds — Departure from Chobsen — Equipment of caravan — Sale 

 of rev'olvers — Humidity of Kan-su — Slippery mountain paths — 

 Fording the Tatung-gol — Encounter with ' Kotens ' — First 

 signs of spring — Night frosts — Gales — Atmospheric phenomena 

 — Tardy vegetation — The great rock-partridge {liailik) — The 

 snow-vulture ; how to shoot it — Heavy snowfall — May in Kan- 

 su — The long-eared pheasant {Crossoptiloji auritum) — The 

 marmot {Arctotnys robusins) — The bear {kung-guressii) — Extra- 

 ordinary reports concerning it — We see one — It escapes — 

 Straitened finances — Last weeks in Kan-su- Its variable cli- 

 mate — Departure 224 



