THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
and north-west of that town. This forms a separate but quite self- 
contained expedition. It might be planned so as to form a portion of an 
extended journey to the Altai Mountains, or it might be worked in with a 
shoot in the Central Tian Shan. Its chief asset is its sheep ground, but it 
also supports innumerable valleys full of ibex; there are stag, roe, bear, and 
pig. It has not been hunted and therefore may hold out as good prospects 
as the well-known Tekkes district. 
The Ala Tau, together with the subsidiary range — the Boro-Koro — by 
which it joins on to the true Tian Shan, is in itself a large tract of country. 
The whole of it, except the northern slopes of the Ala Tau, is in Chinese 
territory, and therefore free country to anyone who comes to Kuldja to 
shoot. The Russian side possesses the largest forests, and there may 
be more stags there, but against this is the close vicinity of many Russian 
settlements. Generally speaking, the Chinese territory will provide all that 
the hunter wishes. A journey of five to six days, at caravan pace, will take a 
traveller over the Talki Pass, and round the beautiful Lake of Sairam Nor 
to the Borotala Valley, which should form his headquarters. This region 
isaKalmuk “reserve,” and they must be relied upon as guides and hunters, 
unless one is fortunate enough to have brought along a Kirghiz or Kalmuk 
hunter from the Tian Shan, for the Borotala natives are in no way worthy 
of the title “ shikari.” The upper portion of the Borotala Valley is a beauti- 
ful region of grassy downland, backed by rock and shale ridges. It was here 
that Mr J. H. Miller obtained his fine heads of Ovis karelini, and judg- 
ing by the numbers we saw in a short time it is not too much to suppose 
that fine heads still remain to be shot. Ibex, roe, and wild boar were also 
shot in the main Borotala Valley at an average altitude of 8,000 feet. The 
wild boar were of the variety known as Sus scrofa nigripes , and inhabited 
the jungle of dwarf birch along the banks of the river at a high altitude. 
Ibex are found on the north side of the valley, but are scarcely worth 
hunting there, for a veritable stronghold of wild goats exists in the 
Urta Saryk valley, a right affluent of the Borotala. In its lower portion 
the Urta Saryk is heavily forested; the wapiti are probably not worth 
following here, as still larger grounds exist on the main Ala Tau, but 
there is always a chance at roe and bears. Higher up the valley develops 
into perfect ibex ground, and enormous numbers exist on both northern 
and southern slopes. 
Altogether there is much game in the district, and a considerable time 
could be spent in its pursuit. For instance, the outlying Kanjik ridge, to 
146 
