1S76.J CAMEL OF CENTRAL ASIA. 697 



pedition, which, as I learned afterwards, is supported by extensive 

 aid from the Russian Government. Colonel Pizewalsky has been, 

 as is well known, collecting very successfully in Thibet. I had 

 the pleasure of seeing a good part of his collections in St. Peters- 

 burg, now incorporated in the fine Museum of the Academy of 

 Sciences ; and I must say that I have rarely seen more interesting 

 collections. Colonel Pizewalsky had the good fortune to bring 

 home specimens of the wild Yak (Bos grunniens), which is indeed a 

 most beautiful and huge animal, totally unlike the specimens in our 

 Zoological Gardens. Besides, I was pleased to see fine specimens of 

 Kemas hodgsoni, Antilope picticaudata, and, above all, especially as 

 an ornithologist, examples of many fine and undoubtedly new species 

 of birds. 



"When in the Arcad Mountains, 150 versts above Seiuipalatinsk, 

 where we made a successful hunt after Ovis argali, we became ac- 

 quainted with Mr. Kamensky, a gentleman who is fitting out a large 

 expedition, half mercantile and half scientific, to China, in order to 

 open the route traversed by Colonel Lassnowsky from Pekin to the 

 frontier of Russia by Saissan. After reaching this latter place bv 

 way of Tschugutscheck, conducted by Major Tichannoff, we obtained 

 more notices as to the occurrence of the Camel wild. Mr. Harkloff, 

 an intelligent merchant, who has long resided in Saissan, and has 

 made many trips into Northern China, told me the following on this 

 subject, mostly based upon the reports of native Tanguts, as Mr. 

 Harkloff had never had the opportunity of seeing the wild Camel 

 himself: — 'The wild Camel has two humps; the size is nearly the 

 same as that of the tame ; but it is larger and higher on the legs. It 

 is of a darker colour than the tame ; and the white around the nose 

 is much clearer and paler. The wild Camel is to be found 250 versts 

 south-east from Saissan, in the district of Kabano (i. e. bloody hill), 

 part of the desert of Gobi. In the spring they pair ; and the time of 

 gestation is the same as with the tame Camel. The Tanguts and 

 Kirgizes hunt the wild Camel and eat its flesh ; also they use the 

 hair. The wild Camel is said not to be shy, and accordingly not 

 difficult to obtain. Amongst the wild Camels live a species of Kulan, 

 different from the common Equus onager, of a pale yellowish colour, 

 which is known by the Tanguts under the name of " Surtaga." ' 



" Major Tichannoff had also the kindness to inquire on this subject 

 of an intelligent and experienced rvirgiz, who reported as follows : — 

 "'The Kirgizes hunt and eat the wild Camel; it is not to be 

 tamed. It lives in the western part of the High Gobi, called Ka- 

 naba, about 200 versts from Saissan. 



" ' According to an old legend, there was a rich Kirgiz, who had 

 so many camels and horses in his possession that he was unable to 

 take care of them. A great quantity escaped, the camels became 

 wild, and the horses became Kuians. 



" 'The wild Camel is much larger, higher on the legs, and has a 

 much finer and softer wool than the tame kind ; it runs faster than 

 the Horse ; it is of a red-brown colour, darker than the tame. The 

 weight is about 10 to 48 pud : and it requires four tame Camels to 



