SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 



Wild boars, leopards and roe-deer were seen, 

 but we were too busy trapping for small mammals 

 to pay much attention to large game. 



Pheasants, partridges and hares were abundant, 

 and kept our pot well filled. The weather was 

 too severe for good work, and beyond a few squirrels, 

 field-mice, small hamster rats and three or four 

 species of birds we secured very little. 



The country was typical of Shansi, consisting 

 of rugged shale and limestone mountains, over- 

 grown with scrub oak, hazel, birch, wild 

 peach, conifers and thorny shrubs of various 

 kinds. 



From Shi-shi-ling, we travelled westward to- 

 wards the Yellow River, putting up at Ning- 

 hsiang Hsien, and Liu-hn-chen on February 24 

 and 25 respectively. The former of these two 

 places is a town of no importance and less interest. 

 At Liu-Iin-chen some fine springs, open all the 

 year round, form a winter resort for countless 

 wildfowl, including teal, mallards, sheld -ducks, 

 golden eyes and mergansers. 



On February 26 we crossed the Yellow River 

 and put up at a small village on its right bank. 

 The crossing was effected by means of large ferry 

 boats, into which mules and baggage were igno- 

 miniously bundled, when, with long, roughly made 

 oars, the ferrymen kept the boats at angles such 

 that the swift current forced them along in the 

 desired direction. In consequence, the landing 



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