THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
remainder of the region, and, indeed, make up two-thirds of the whole. 
The mountain area is but a trifle compared with the steppe and desert 
zone, yet the highlands are the game resorts, the list of plain-loving 
animals being a meagre one. 
Looking at the map we see that the Tian Shan, the Pamirs and Bokhara 
are bordered on the north by endless plains which reach from the Caspian 
Sea to Siberia and to the Chinese Gobi Desert. Of one type, character and 
climate, for the most part, they contain practically the same fauna through- 
out their entire area. Gazelle of many closely -allied varieties range the 
whole of this zone, wild asses are found in the wilder parts, stag in the 
jungles that border big rivers, a few tigers in the same environment, 
and the strange saiga on the northern border. This is the entire list, with 
the exception of the inevitable wild pig and the problematic wild camels 
in the Tarim Deserts. 
The peculiarity of the region is that whether it is low-lying sandy 
desert or high plateau steppe the fauna is the same. The wild asses, 
for instance, live in the lowest depression, a few hundred feet above the 
level of the sea, and at 10,000 to 11,000 feet on the Tibetan Plateau. 
Gazelle, too, live at all sorts of altitudes. The saiga is the most con- 
stricted in its range, although recent information shows that it extends a 
long way east. This strange animal, which is typical of the Russian steppes, 
is found throughout the Balkash region and on the Dzungarian plains as 
far east as Barkul on the western confines of Mongolia. Here it is hunted, 
for the sake of its horns, by natives who come for the purpose from Chinese 
Turkestan. It is a beast of peculiar habits and affords much interest to the 
hunter. Its home is in the heart of the steppes, and there it remains all 
the year, except for summer migrations in search of food. This is the 
hunter’s chance, for when the lower country begins to get dried up the saiga 
move up into the foothills of the surrounding ranges, where fresh grass is 
always to be found. During these movements they collect into great herds 
and are apparently easily taken in. With a knowledge of the country and 
an ability to endure the heat, a hunter would have every chance of bringing 
one of these rare beasts to bag. At early dawn they are always on the move 
to feed on the rising ground, later in the day they retire to the open steppe, 
where pursuit is out of the question. At well-known feeding grounds 
and at water-holes lie the hunter’s opportunity. He must wait for the 
saiga to approach him, and make no attempt to come to terms until he has 
caught him in undulating country, where a quick, short stalk is possible. 
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