WHEN TO BAG BEAES. 103 



know no better centre than the old town of 

 Gebi. From there yoii can go to Shnkachalo 

 before harvest, or dnring the feast at the end 

 of August, and I am convmced that at least 

 one day out of every three you ought to bag 

 either chamois or bear, while you can always get 

 provisions sent from Gebi to your camp. But 

 for bears, if a large bag of these beasts is your 

 object, you should go in June, when the snow 

 is only just leaving the hillsides, when there 

 are no fruits and no crops, and the only food 

 is the young grass, as it springs green and 

 tender where the sun has melted away the 

 snow. 



Here, so say the natives, in the spring [i.e. 

 end of May and June) you may see parties 

 of bears, from two or three to six or eio'ht in 

 number, gaunt with their long winter's fast, 

 and with their coats rough and thin. Whether 

 they would be worth shooting in this condi- 

 tion I don't know ; but as a matter of experi- 



VOL. I. 



