About Yak 265 



bottom of the valleys and near water. Yak prefer 

 the latter, and are rarely found far away from it 

 except when on the move. These bovines are of 

 course ridiculously easy to see and quite unmistak- 

 able when seen. Bulls and cows are not readily 

 distinguishable at a distance. The males stand 

 higher and are bigger all round, having especially 

 much bigger necks than the cows. They have also 

 bushier tails, and their horns are thicker, and do 

 not, like the cows' horns, have a marked terminal 

 upward curve. Careful as he may be, the inexperi- 

 enced may fail to distinguish the sexes, but a man 

 of the country should never make a mistake. I 

 would not, of course, guarantee their judgment in 

 the matter if the camp happened to be short of 

 meat ! 



The biggest bulls are usually found alone or 

 with one or two companions of their own sex, 

 except in the late autumn, when they join the 

 herd. It must be admitted that the yak, uncouth, 

 hirsute, and monstrous as he is, fails somewhat in 

 dignity of appearance. His head is set on too low, 

 while the matted fringe of hair falling down from 

 his flanks and quarters like petticoats, and the 

 great bush of hair at the end of his tail, give him 

 an aspect more "prehistoric" than majestic. 



In that interesting book of travel ' The Memoirs 

 of Colonel Gardner,' an account is given of the 



