ZOOLOCIT AND ]30TA:S"r OF THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS. 25 



and afterwards found it to be the case, that the higher regions 

 of the Altai were liable to excessive rains and snow-storms in 

 summer, making it a very difficult country for horses to traverse. 

 Tchihatcheft" (t!ie only writer so far as I know who has crossed 

 from the head-waters of the Tchuja to the head-waters of the 

 Abakan, the principal western tributary of the Tenesei in 

 Siberia) has stated that to cover a distance of about 200 miles 

 cost him six weeks' hard travelling, and the loss of about half 

 of the loO horses witii w^hich he started. This will give an 

 idea of the difficulties of an explorer in some parts of this 

 country. 



But to return to the question of what should properly be called 

 the Altai Mountains. I would draw the line eastwards at the 

 bouudary of the Government district of the Altai, which is some- 

 what east of the water-parting between the tributaries of the 

 Yenesei on the east and those of the Obb on the west. I do not 

 include all those eastern mountains which are known by the 

 names of Sayansk, &c., and stretch away as far as the south-west 

 end of L ike Baikal, though they aro from a physical point of vievv 

 part of the Altai. 



Until two years ago the journey to Siberia was one wdiich had 

 to be undertaken in the winter, for the roads arj almost im- 

 passable when the snow is melting in spring. But now the 

 railway enables one to do in comfort in ten days what formerly 

 entailed three weeks or a month of hard sledging. 



Although my special object was au investigation of the 

 Lepidi.ptera, a subject at which I have been chiefly working of 

 late years, I was also anxious to collect birds and plants as well ; 

 and if M. Beresowsky had not left us just when the real work of 

 collecting began, I should have done much more in that direction. 

 My companiou, Mr. Pletcher, very kindly assisted me during the 

 leisure time he could spare from the pursuit of the Wild Sheep, 

 Avhich was the special object of his journey ; and I have in con- 

 sequence been able to bring home a very fine and complete 

 collection of Butterflies, including specimens of about 200 species. 

 1 also made a ccllection of Altai plants, but unfortunately, after 

 they were packed and sent off, the horse that carried them 

 went down in one of the numerous rivers the crossing of w^hich 

 is the piincipal difficulty of ti-avelling in the Altai. When I 

 subsequently unpacked them, they were almost entirely spoilt ; 

 but as Mr. Littledale had made a good collection the year before, 



