6o8 DZUNGARIA 



end of the Altai. They are found north of the Altai 

 Range on the plains, round the large lakes in the Kobdo 

 region ; we met with them near Barkul, and in several 

 other places throughout Southern Dzungaria. West- 

 wards they extend throughout Northern Russian Turke- 

 stan, being exceedingly numerous in the neighbourhood 

 of Lake Balkash. During the summer they frequent 

 foot-hills, where the grass does not get so burnt up as on 

 the plains ; during the winter they roam all over the 

 steppes, eating snow in place of water. The natives hunt 

 them occasionally for their skins and meat, which they 

 consider more palatable than the best mutton. The 

 heat was so great at the time these two specimens were 

 killed that within ten hours the hair showed signs of 

 " slipping " in places, and it was only with the greatest 

 difficulty that one complete skin was saved. 



The wild-ass is not the only species of equus that 

 exists in Dzungaria, for there is no doubt that the wild- 

 horse [Equus cahallus prjevalskii) also inhabits the 

 northern portions of that region. We were never lucky 

 enough to see any, but the natives, both Kalmuk and 

 Kazak, all told the same tale, often volunteering the 

 information that, in addition to the kulon, there were 

 wild-horses. They described them as being very like the 

 kulon, but having longer and blacker manes and tails ; 

 also, they said, the meat was not so good. They told 

 us that there were large herds of them in the vicinity 

 of Lake Ulungur, and eastwards along the southern foot 

 of the Altai ; also north of that range. 



I have now only to mention what I might call the 

 " low country '* wapiti, and the tiger. As we were 

 never fortunate enough to see either of these in the flesh, 

 there is not much that I can write in connexion with 



