AND WARINESS. 203 



touching the ground, his bushy tail and jet black 

 colour, render him a magnificent specimen of the brute 

 creation ! On the other hand, the gracefulness of the 

 argali, his great curving horns, snowy breast, and 

 proud bearing, entitled him to rank among the 

 noblest of creatures in these deserts. In the early 

 morning the argalis graze on the mountains, or in the 

 valleys, but no sooner is the sun up than they seek 

 some spot for repose, sequestered, yet commanding 

 a view all round. Here they scrape a convenient 

 resting place for themselves in the clay, and lie down 

 for several hours. When a flock is reposing in this 

 way, the rams station themselves a little to one side 

 and keep watch ; a herd consisting entirely of rams 

 lies close together, their heads turned outwards in 

 different directions. Indeed they are ever vigilant 

 and wary, and the hunter who would approach them 

 must note the direction of the wind and stalk them 

 very carefully. Even with the utmost caution a 

 great deal will still depend on the accuracy of his 

 aim and the trueness of his rifle ; for under the most 

 favourable circumstances he cannot expect to get 

 within 200 paces. In all our shooting excursions in 

 Tibet we only killed eight argalis, of which three 

 were full-grown rams. 



The Mongols told us that the breeding season was 

 late in the autumn. When we arrived in Tibet in 

 the beginning of December it was over, and the rams 

 were behaving peaceably, but while it lasts they 

 have furious fights, traces of which may be seen in the 

 numbers of broken horns strewn about in all direc- 



