20 



THE ANIMAL LIFE OF SIBERIA 



quence curled up in dry weather— a preservative against the evaporation of sap, 

 which is also prevented by the wax-like nature of the leaves, and close tissue of 

 the epidermis. Animals, as well as perennial bulbous plants, are more frequent in 

 the steppes than in the meadows ; and the evergreen shrubs are mostly small-leaved, 

 with a protective covering of fine hairs. 



Owing to the milder climate and more abundant vegetation, the 

 Siberian fauna is more varied than that of the tundras and includes 

 representatives of a larger number of groups. Among the hoofed group, the elk is 

 the largest of the Siberian mammals; the Asiatic habitat of this species extending 

 from the boundaries of European Russia to the Siberian forest-zone, although the 

 precise limits of its range are still undetermined. 



The true deer are represented by the Manchurian wapiti {Cervus canadensis 

 xanihopygus), the isubra of the natives, which although long confounded with 

 the red deer, is now known to be a near relative of the American wapiti, from 

 which., among other features, it is distinguished by the reddish tinge of its summer 

 coat. From Manchuria the range of this wapiti extends into Amurland. The 

 Siberian roe (Capreolus pygargus) is a much larger and lighter-coloured animal 

 than its European relative, with heavier and more rugged antlers, larger and more 

 thickly haired cars, and a greater amount of white on the rump. Manchuria is 

 also the home of a smaller kind of roebuck {Capreolus bedfordi), apparently more 

 nearly akin to the European species. 



The musk-deer (Moschus moschiferws) is likewise found in Siberia, although 

 apparently not so commonly as in the tract farther south. The wild sheep of 

 this an-a is the Kamcliatkan bighorn (Ovis canadensis nivicola), a near ally of 

 the northern forms of American bighorn, but distinguished by certain peculiarities 

 in coloration and the conformation of the skull. Information with regard to the 

 precise range of this handsome sheep is much required, but it is known to extend 

 from Kamchatka to the Stanovoi Mountains. Horns measurino; from 35 to 38 

 inches along the curve have been recorded. A small member of the argali group 

 (0. ammo a storcki) has also been described from Kamchatka. 



, With the exception of the beaver the largest of the rodents in 



the Siberian area is the mountain hare, a species also found in the 

 tundra. The Siberian pica (Ochotona alpina) is, on the other hand, an 

 inhabitant of the steppe, where the entrances to its burrows may often be seen 

 in hundreds or even thousands. Besides holes in the ground, these picas 

 live in rocky clefts or among crumbling rocks ; and when grazing near their 

 homes often betray themselves by the loud whistling, from which they take 

 their name of whistling hares, a title, however, not applicable to all the members 

 of the group. 



Picas drink but little, and never hibernate, although many of the places 

 inhabited by them are under snow for months. In autumn they collect large 

 quantities of grass, which is their principal food, and in Siberia build this up in 



- a yard or more high, to afford a supply during the winter. Not infre- 

 quently these hay-stacks are annexed by sable-hunters, as provender for their horses. 

 Siberian pica is about 9 inches long, and greyish brown in colour, with a 

 y.ll, .wish tinge on the under-parts. 



