SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 



the Female Sea and the Male Sea respectively. 

 The lakes are situated at an altitude of from 7,000 

 to 7,500 feet, and lie in deep rock basins. 

 There are many legends connected with them. 

 One of these states that Mu Hai-tzu occupies 

 the site of an ancient town, and it is said 

 that on clear days in summer the ruins can be 

 seen at the bottom of the lake. At the time of our 

 visit the lakes were frozen over to a depth of 

 several feet. The ice, however, was very clear, 

 and near the edges weeds could easily be dis- 

 cerned in the dark green depths. 



January 18 found us at Ning-wu Fu, which 

 town has already been described in the foregoing 

 chapter. We made a short stay here to check up 

 and plot the compass traverse. 



On January 24 we left this city, and crossing 

 a pass to the west descended on to an extensive 

 plain, which stretches away, unbroken by any 

 hills, as far as the Yellow River. 



Traversing this plain for about twenty miles, we 

 reached a small town named Wu-tsai Hsien, 

 where we settled down once more to continue our 

 collecting work. 



This time we were very successful, for besides 

 trapping, we induced the natives to bring in 

 specimens. To the number of different species 

 already collected, eight others were added, includ- 

 ing the wolf, the fox, the polecat, the mole, a 

 vole, the desert hamster, the striped hamster, and 



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