THE LONG TRAIL TO SAIN NOIN KHAN 95 



finitely appealing. We often hunted for the eggs of 

 both the sheldrakes and lapwings. They must have been 

 near by, we knew, for the old birds would fly about our 

 heads uttering agonizing calls, but we never found the 

 nests. 



I killed four light-gray geese with yellow bills and 

 legs and narrow brown bars across the head, and a 

 broad brown stripe down the back of the neck. I could 

 only identify the species as the bar-headed goose of In- 

 dia {Eulabeia indica) , which I was not aware ever trav- 

 eled so far north to breed. Later I found my 

 identification to be correct, and that the bird is an occa- 

 sional visitor to Mongolia. We saw only one specimen 

 of the bean goose {Anser fabaJis), the common bird of 

 China, which I had expected would be there in thou- 

 sands. There were a few mallards, redheads, and shov- 

 eler ducks, and several bustards, besides half a dozen 

 species of plover and shore birds. 



Except for these the trip would have been infinitely 

 monotonous, for we were bitterly disappointed in the 

 lack of animal life. Moreover, there was continual 

 trouble with the carts, and on the third day I had to buy 

 an extra horse. Although one can purchase a riding 

 pony at any yurt^ cart animals are not easy to find, for 

 the Mongols use oxen or camels to draw most loads. 

 The one we obtained had not been in the shafts for more 

 than two years and was badly frightened when we 

 brought him near the cart. It was a liberal education 

 to see our Mongol handle that horse! He first put a 

 hobble on all four legs, then he swung a rope about the 



