HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 79 
itself has about 1,500 inhabitants, three-quarters of whom are 
Mohammedan Tartars belonging to a Turkestan tribe, while 
the rest are Chinese merchants, trading in the products of 
Mongolia. Besides the town itself, there is a fortress and a 
prison; and also the governor’s palace, for it is a Govern- 
ment centre. Kobdo is the terminus of the great caravan 
route from Peking, which for camel caravans is distant a two 
and a half months’ journey. 
A Kalmuck national dance. 
The country north of the Altai Range is not wholly un- 
inhabited. Along the banks of the river Zedzik-Noor there 
dwell various Mongolian tribes of nomadic habits, each 
governed by a chief or prince; and in his excursions from 
Kobdo, Grieger usually found them very friendly. He ar- 
rived at his destination some time before the foaling period 
had commenced, and filled up his time by studying the 
aborigines, enlisting assistants, and hunting. The hardships 
which he had to undergo at this time were often severe. He 
had nothing but a tent to live in; and with the temperature 
