CENTRAL ASIA 
be left undisturbed, but in such localities, where their feeding grounds are 
capped by a broken rocky ridge, they may be approached when at rest 
there. The difficulties of approach are great, for a large herd on the look- 
out is not easy to circumvent; but a close approach is likely if the stalk 
is feasible at all, and the reward granted by the spectacle of the ibex in 
their true haunts is well worth the trouble. 
The Tian Shan ibex, which is characterized by the greater length of 
its horns, and their tendency to turn out at the tips, as well as by its paler 
colour and white saddle, is very widely distributed. It is found practically 
everywhere. I have seen them on the western spurs overlooking the 
Russian Ferghana, and at the furthest eastern extremity, in the Hami or 
Karlik Tagh Mountains. There seems to be no doubt that the locality where 
they are most numerous and attain the greatest size is in the centre of the 
range around the culminating peaks, and where the rainfall is heaviest. 
Most sportsmen have obtained their heads in the Kok-su Valley and its 
vicinity. Owing to Russian regulations the country immediately around the 
huge mountain mass of Khan Tengri (24,000 feet) has not been open 
to Englishmen, so we do not know what it may contain in the way of big 
ibex. There are some ibex which grow very good horns in the ranges to 
the south of Narin, so I imagine that between there and Khan Tengri there 
may be some wonderful ibex grounds. There is plenty of room for them, 
here alone are two hundred miles of untouched country. North of Kuldja 
in the outlying groups of the Ala Tau ranges there are plenty of ibex, 
some tributaries of the Borotala being veritable strongholds of the wild 
goats. We know their horns run to 50 inches in this region, and suspect 
there are as good heads here as in the main Tian Shan. Out at the very 
extreme end of the eastern extension of the Tian Shan ibex of a good size 
are found; they even range on to the last hills overlooking the Desert of 
Gobi. 
It is a general rule that the higher the habitat, the larger the horn growth. 
In the Tian Shan it is not always the highest ranges that have the heaviest 
rainfall and therefore the finest pastures, so one must look out for high, 
cold ranges with a good precipitation in order to be sure of finding ibex 
with the colossal horns which are their special characteristic. Ibex of 
45 to 50 inches are very common in the centre of the range and quite 
ordinary in any part of the Tian Shan. The record heads of Himalayan 
ibex are of the size generally to be obtained by a good, hard worker in the 
Tian Shan. The hunter should get 53 -inch to 55-inch horns if he is careful 
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