DIFFICULTIES AND PRIVATIONS. 213 



mills and the Mo7itifringilla (sp.) so numerous in 

 Koko-nor, 



After this long digression on the fauna of North- 

 ern Tibet, I resume my narrative. 



As I mentioned in the last chapter, we hired a 

 guide in Tsaidam, and, accompanied by him, started 

 for the Burkhan Buddha. In order to lighten as 

 much as possible the loads of our camels, which carry 

 with great difficulty the smallest pack over these 

 enormous elevations, we left some of our supplies of 

 barley-meal and flour in Tsaidam, and buried our 

 spare ammunition under some stones near the sum- 

 mit of the Burkhan Buddha pass. Notwithstand- 

 ing this our packs, filled as they were with skins of 

 animals, were quite heavy enough, and we were com- 

 pelled to bury in the sand two yak skins obtained 

 for our collection, only taking them with us on our 

 way back. 



These two months and a half ^ in Northern Tibet 

 were the most arduous of the whole of the expedi- 

 tion. Winter had set in with severe frosts and storms, 

 and the want of even the bare necessaries of life, 

 with other privations, reduced our strength ; so that it 

 became a hard struggle for life, and nothing but a 

 consciousness of the scientific importance of our 

 labours inspired us with strength and energy to carry 

 out the task we had undertaken. 



For better protection against the cold we took the 

 yurta given us by the uncle of the Prince of Koko-nor ; 

 and if it gave us a great deal of additional trouble, 



' Exactly cii^hty days from December 5, 1872, to February 22, 1873. 



