302 SIBERIA 



ascertained. Some suppose that they descend from 

 the Ugor-Finnish race, and only in course of time 

 alcquired the Mongolian type ; others believe that 

 they are Voguls, who represent one of the Ugor tribes 

 and form part of the great Altai family. The present 

 Bashkirs are of two marked types . Of these, one is the 

 more common Bashkir of the steppes and resembles 

 the Kalmuck or Mongolian. He has a large, flat face, 

 a broad nose, sometimes bent inwards at the root. 

 He has a protruding chin, a large head, and is usually 

 of middle size. The other type, which is more like 

 the Caucasian, and is common to many central 

 Asiatic nations, is characterised by a hooked hose, 

 a: marked profile, and high stature. To this type 

 belong the forest Bashkirs, who inhabit such moun- 

 tainous and wooded regions as are situated at the 

 source of the Belaya. 



The Bashkirs are Mohammedans, and the majority 

 of them write and read Tartar. They are provided 

 with a certain quantity of land, and engage in agri- 

 culture and cattle-breeding. They settle in groups, 

 forming small villages. Most of them had left their 

 huts, which is their usual custom in the summer, to 

 live in felt " kibitkas," which they pitch in fields and 

 pastures, returning to the smoky huts in the winter. 

 The Ufa' Government contains about one million 

 Bashkirs. The majority of the native population of 

 Ufa is represented by Teptairs and Meshcheriaks, 

 who mostly live in the north of the Government. 

 Their mode of living differs but little from that of 

 the Bashkirs, but they are at a much loWer stage of 

 civilisation, and are heathens. The whole of the 

 population, comprising 2,277,158 people, is distri- 

 buted amongst the following districts — Belebei, Birsk, 

 Zlatoust, Menzeisk, and Sterlitomsk. Amongst them 

 are 100,000 peasants. One -tenth of the population 

 live in the towns. 



