2IO THE TIBETAN WOLF. 



in its yellowish-white colour)/ and is most probably 

 identical with the species we heard the Mongols in 

 Kan-su call tsobr; but whereas it is rare in the latter 

 country, in Northern Tibet it is very common, of 

 course owing to the unpeopled nature of this country 

 and the abundance of animals upon which it can prey. 

 Here it ranges over the plains in large packs, and 

 attacks the yak, the orongo, and the rest. Tibetan 

 wolves are savage and impudent, but are more 

 cowardly and less powerful than the grey species. 

 Our dogs fought with them, and drove them away 

 every night. They frequently attempted, in their 

 nocturnal visits to our yurta, to carry off things by 

 stealth ; we could leave no dead game exposed (ex- 

 cept yak) without its being instantly gnawed or de- 

 voured by these ravenous brutes. My companion on 

 one occasion shot four orongo about two m.iles from 

 camp, whither he went for assistance, and on return- 

 ing with a camel to bring them in, found that they 

 had been devoured in his absence. 



At one place in the valley of the Shuga we made 

 a cache among some loose rocks, hiding our butter 

 there ; but these horrid brutes scented it, turned up 

 the heavy stones and devoured the store we had 

 prepared for our return journey, actually swallowing 

 the woollen cloth in which it was wrapped ! On 

 another occasion I left my fowling-piece in the moun- 

 tains with some prepared tin cartridge cases ; the 

 following day on going to fetch it, I could find neither 

 gun nor cartridges, which had been dragged away by 



' There are no grey wolves in Tibet, although plentiful in Tsaidam. 



