SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 



specimens, I offered the natives 400 cash (about 

 Is.) for each additional specimen they could 

 secure for me. They discovered a nest of the 

 coveted animals in a hollow tree, when, rather 

 than risk losing one, they plugged up the hole, 

 cut down the tree and carried it bodily to the 

 village over a distance of about three miles. Six 

 squirrels were found inside, five of which I skinned, 

 reserving one alive. This one lived till well into 

 the summer, when doubtless the heat of the 

 plains was too much for it. 



During the few days we spent in this vicinity 

 I hunted the sika deer assiduously. This is 

 a beautiful spotted animal about the size of the 

 British red deer. Though I followed their tracks 

 for miles each day, I never succeeded in sighting 

 one, owing to the denseness of the forests in which 

 they lived. 



Judging from tracks I saw in the snow, musk 

 deer also were common, but, being much hunted 

 by the natives, they were very shy and always 

 managed to remain out of sight. 



On February 23 we once more started for home. 

 Our path now lay over the most difficult country 

 imaginable. The steep slopes were covered with 

 ice, so that our animals had the greatest difficulty 

 in ascending them. Spills were frequent, and 

 more than once the loads were thrown off and 

 boxes smashed. 



As we neared the pass, we entered a deep 



57 



