WAPITI, ROEBUCK, AND GORAL 231 



bearded partridges, and rabbits in the tiny fields across 

 the stream. Besides the wapiti and roebuck, goral were 

 plentiful on the cliffs and there were a few sheep in 

 the lower valley. Altogether it was a veritable game 

 paradise, but one which I fear will last only a few years 

 longer. 



We found that the wapiti were not as easy to kUl as 

 the first day's hunt had given us reason to believe. The 

 mountains, separated by deep ravines, were so high and 

 precipitous that if the deer became alarmed and crossed 

 a valley it meant a climb of an hour or more to reach 

 the crest of the new ridge. It was killing work, and 

 we returned to camp every night utterly exhausted. 



The concentration of animal life in these scrub-filled 

 gorges was really extraordinary, and I hope that a 

 "game hog" never finds that valley. Probably in no 

 other part of China can one see as many roebuck in 

 a space so limited. It is due, of course, to the unusual 

 conditions. Instead of being scattered over a large 

 area, as is usual in the forest where there is an abun- 

 dance of cover, the animals are confined to the few ra- 

 vines in which brush remains. The surrounding open 

 hills isolate them almost as effectively as though they 

 were encircled by water; when driven from one patch 

 of cover they can only run to the next valley. 



The facility with which the roebuck and wapiti had 

 adapted themselves to utterly new conditions was a con- 

 tinual marvel to me, and I never lost the feeling of sur- 

 prise when I saw the animals on the open hillside or 

 running across the rolling, treeless uplands. Had an 



