Letters, Extracts, and Notes. .'399 



Traversing the district betweeu Lake Ubsa and the Altai 

 Mountains, we found the liigh ranges very wealthy in bird- 

 and animal-life. Tlie steppe-country was on the whole \evj 

 lifeless, but the lakes swarmed with birtls. The followins: 

 Avere noted onthe Atchit Nor : — Wild Geese (three species), 

 Mallard, Teal, Wild Swan, Grey Phalaro[)e, Golden Plover 

 (in full summer dress), Black Stork, Gulls, Terns, Black 

 Vulture, Pallas^s Sand-Grouse, Kites, Tree-Sparrows, and 

 Horned Larks. 



By September we had crossed the Great Altai and entered 

 Dzungaria. Travelling by way of the Upper Black Lnish, 

 Lake Ulungar, and the Sair Mountain, we reached Chugu- 

 chak, and thence, by way of the Ala-tau and Sairani Nor, 

 the Hi Valley and Kuldja. During the last part of this 

 journey 1 had neither time nor opportunity to collect. But 

 I recorded a certain number of birds during this long journey 

 through this the most bird-less country that I have ever seen ; 

 there seemed to be little else but immense flocks of Pallas's 

 Sand-Grouse and a few Horned Larks. 



Here the winter migration and the comparison of the 

 winter conditions of the Hi Valley with those of the Zaraf- 

 schan much interested me. The diffei'ence is remarkable. 

 Although but very little further north, the Hi Valley is frost- 

 bound for three or four months, all the rivers are frozen and 

 the snow lies deep, whilst in the Zarafschan I collected 

 specimens throughout the winter. Wildfowl are here com- 

 paratively scarce, but the lower Zarafschan forms an immense 

 winter-resort for Ducks, Geese, Waders, &c. 



In January I shall start eastwards again, going, via 

 Urumchi and Durfar, to Hami. En route I hope to collect 

 on the Bogdo-ola and Hami Mountains, and also on further 

 journeys which I expect to make into the Gobi, east of Hami, 



I hope to be in England next autumn. From here I am 

 sending off a small collection to the British jNIuseum and 

 hope it will get through safely. 



I am, Sirs, 



Yours &c., 



Kuldja, Douglas Carkuthers. 



Chhiese Dzimgario, 

 Ceutral Asia. 

 Dec. -llih, 1910. 



