FROM THE ALTAI TO THE ILI 407 



the seventeenth century, and it was here the Dzungars 

 fixed their capital during the short-lived period of their 

 empire. China now holds the upper half of the Emil 

 Valley, but Russia, holding the lower portion, exercises 

 her control over this gateway between east and west. 



The district is, without doubt, a rich one ; it is low- 

 lying, well watered, and bordered on north and south 

 b}^ sheltering mountain-ranges. On entering we found 

 the country positively swarming with Kasaks, who were 

 moving with their flocks into their winter quarters in the 

 sheltered valleys of the Kojur and Urkashar ranges. 

 As far as the eye could see, were herds of horses and 

 flocks of sheep, numbering tens of thousands, ; here and 

 there were scattered villages of yurts and isolated 

 mud-houses — ^the farms of the sedentary Kasaks and 

 Chanto cultivators ; such a confusion of nomadic and 

 settled conditions of life we had never before witnessed. 

 Should a future colonization of the nomads' plain take 

 place on a large scale much trouble is obviously in store for 

 them. Even now the herds of the nomads were wander- 

 ing over the fields of the farmers ; but, as the harvest 

 was over and the grain being threshed, the confusion 

 was of no consequence. 



A further sign of the approach of winter — confirmed 

 a week later by the first fall of snow — was a remark- 

 able migration of sand-grouse, which we watched on 

 October loth and nth, as we moved across the Emil 

 steppes. With a strong west wind behind them, large 

 packs and small parties of sand-grouse were to be seen 

 hurrying towards the south-east. During the two days' 

 trek the birds continued to pass over us, the large 

 packs flying high, but small flocks of half-dozens flying 

 quite low and all moving with the directness of flight 



