6io DZUNGARIA 



jungle, and the boggy nature of large areas of the country, 

 make hunting impossible. In winter, when the whole 

 land is frozen, and covered with snow, and much of 

 the vegetation is knocked down by the frost, a hardy 

 sportsman would stand a good chance of getting a shot 

 at a tiger, though I doubt if they are anywhere numerous. 

 Having found out where a beast had recently been seen, 

 the best plan would be to take up one's quarters in a 

 yurt in the vicinity. Messengers would then be des- 

 patched far and wide, informing every one that a substan- 

 tial reward awaited whoever brought in reliable informa- 

 tion as to the whereabouts of a tiger. The sportsman 

 would probably have to put up with a long, cold wait, 

 but the triumph of securing such a rare trophy would be 

 ample recompense. At the same time, there would 

 always be the chance of a stag, about which nothing 

 is known definitely at present. 



It must be remembered that the tiger which in- 

 habits Dzungaria and the Tarim basin, also the Ala Kul, 

 Balkash, Syr Darya, and other portions of Russian 

 Turkestan, is a very different animal to the Manchurian 

 variety. It is not so long-haired, and it is considerably 

 smaller and less finely marked. 



