this colour is continued as a narrow stripe along the middle of
the back, and for some distance down the tail. As the kiang
is not harassed by the Tibetans, those we saw were fairly tame,
and would allow one to approach , to within about sixty yards
of them. Then the herd would show signs of uneasiness, and
would move off for a hundred yards or so. On several occasions
I tried to get at closer quarters with them. I rode slowly
towards a herd and the moment the animals became in the least
alarmed, I galloped towards them as fast as possible ; but the
kiangs outdistanced me without an effort; indeed, I never succeeded
in getting them to do more than make off at an easy
canter. It is true that my Tibetan pony was not particularly
speedy, but a greyhound that belonged to one of the officers
of the Commission escort was almost equally unsuccessful in
the chase of these fleet-footed animals. At Lhasa there were
three semi-tame kiangs ; all were mares. Even these, however,
although one could approach to within twenty yards of them,
resented attempts at closer intimacy. The kiang must be a very
hardy animal. Those at Tuna seemed none the worse for the
very low temperatures experienced there, though their only food
consisted of coarse grasses, to reach which they often had to
scratch away the snow.
According to Blanford and other authorities, the kiang , is
merely a variety of the Asiatic wild ass, another variety of which
(E. onager, v. indicus) occurs in Western India and Baluchistan.
It is strange that an animal should be found in the bare desert
tracts, west of the Indus, exposed to quite the other extreme of
temperature to that to which its near ally is subjected in Tibet.
A few specimens of the Great Tibetan sheep (Ovis hodgsoni)
were obtained at high elevations, on the slopes of the mountains
near Kamba jong. A fine male is said to measure four feet
at the shoulder and bears a pair of massive horns, which differ
from those of Ovis poli by their curve not forming a complete
circle. The Tibetan sheep is closely allied to Ovis ammon.
Bharal (Ovis nahura) were very common on all the lower
mountain ranges. The females and young, which keep together,
were constantly seen and were surprisingly tame, but the old
males with good heads required careful stalking. The Tibetans
used to shoot a good many about Kamba jong. The bharal is
a wonderful climber ; even quite young ones negotiate the most
formidable-looking precipices with apparent ease. Bharal
mutton, except that of old males, is very well flavoured, though
it is not to be compared, as an article of food, with the Tibetan
gazelle.
This Tibetan gazelle or goa (Gazella pidicaudata) was one
of the commonest animals that we encountered. It occurred
in large herds on all the open plains and downs. The horns of
the male are closely ringed and much curved back, being commonly
from twelve to fourteen inches in length. The female
is without horns. Gazelle shooting is about the easiest sport to
be obtained in South Tibet. The meat is excellent for the table.
Except in places where they had been much worried by us,
the gazelles were, as a rule, by no means shy. During the day
they scatter about grazing over the plains. When alarmed, the
individuals generally unite into a herd and make off at a rapid
pace at first, but by using ordinary caution one could generally
approach within range of them again.
I have been much puzzled by a statement made by Sir
Joseph Hooker, in his “ Himalayan Journals.” He mentions
antelopes (“ Chiru,” Pantholops hodgsoni) occurring near the
Cholamu Lake. Whatever may have been the case in Hooker’s
time, I am almost certain that there are no antelopes in this
part of Tibet at the present day. The furriers at Lhasa had no
skins, nor did I see any horns offered for sale. I made enquiries
of several educated Tibetans, and they all asserted that the
animal occurred considerably to the west of the country visited
by the Tibet Frontier Commission.
Of the carnivora of South Tibet, the snow leopard (Felis
uncia) is the largest. Though rarely seen by us— I myself only saw
one during the fourteen months that I spent in Tibet— it appears
to be fairly common, Judging by the numerous skins that were
offered for sale by the Tibetans.
The lynx (F. lynx) also is tolerably common. This animal
is by some authors considered to be a distinct species (F .
isabellina) from the European lynx, but the distinction appears
to rest mainly on the fact that the Tibetan lynx is paler in colour
than the other.
On two occasions, near Gyantse, I saw a small light-coloured