RANGE AA'D PHYSICAL QUALITIES. 189 



are shorter and lighter, the hump smaller, and the 

 tail and flanks not nearly so hairy. 



But in order to have a correct idea of the yak, he 

 should be seen in his native state, on vast plains 

 which lie at an elevation of 15,000 feet, seamed 

 with rocky ridges as wild and barren as the sur- 

 rounding deserts, where the scanty herbage finds little 

 encouragement to grow, owing to the constant cold 

 and the violent storms of wind which rage through- 

 out the greater part of the year. In these inhospi- 

 table wastes, in the midst of a desolate nature, yet 

 far removed from pitiless man, the famous long- 

 haired ox roams in unrestricted freedom. This 

 animal, peculiarly characteristic of the highlands of 

 Tibet, is also found further north, and is said to 

 haunt in considerable numbers the mountain ranges 

 of Kan-su near the headwaters of the Tatung and 

 Etsina, the northernmost limit of its distribution. 

 In Kan-su, however, it is becoming extinct, owing to 

 the way in which it is persecuted by the native 

 hunters. 



In some physical qualities the yak is singularly 

 inferior to other wild animals. Endowed with enor- 

 mous strength and an excellent sense of smell, its 

 sight and hearing are defective. Even on a clear 

 day, and on perfectly level ground, it cannot dis- 

 tinguish a man at any great distance, and in misty 

 weather it cannot see him when comparatively near. 

 Again, it requires a very loud noise to attract its 

 attention, but its sense of smell is very keen, and it 

 will scent a man half-a mile to Avindward. 



