CATTLE REARISG. 115 



with a hole left in the middle to answer the double 

 purpose of chimney and window. 



But this wretched abode is luxurious compared 

 with the black tent. The former, at all events, is 

 weather-proof, while to the latter summer rains and 

 winter frosts have easy access. There is no exag- 

 geration in saying that the marmot in his burrow is 

 far more comfortable than his neighbour — man. The 

 animal has at least a soft couch to lie upon, but the 

 bed of the Tangutan is a heap of dirt, or sodden 

 pieces of felt, thrown on the damp ground. 



The chief occupation of the Tangutans is rearing 

 cattle, which supply all the wants of their simple 

 lives. Their domestic animals are yaks and sheep 

 (not the fat-tailed kind), with horses and cows in 

 smaller numbers ; their wealth in flocks and herds is 

 very considerable, owing to the abundance of rich pas- 

 turage in Kan-su and Koko-nor, where we often saw 

 several hundred yaks and thousands of sheep belong- 

 ing to one owner, whose abode was in no degree 

 better than that of the poorest of his brethren. It is 

 a rare sight to see a rich Tangutan wearing a cotton 

 robe instead of the common cloth dress, or indulging 

 in an extra piece of meat at his meals ; his mode 

 of life is, in all respects, the same as that of his 

 servants. He is as dirty as they are; he never 

 washes, and his garments swarm with insects, which 

 he kills without the slightest regard to propriety. 



The characteristic animal of the country, and 

 the inseparable companion of the Tangutan, is the 

 long-haired )ak, also bred in the mountains of Ala- 



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