Kalmuks have generally short necks:; their limbs are thill
and lean: even the principal and more opulent men among-
them are seldom corpulent, in which they differ from many of
the Kirguse and other Tartar nomades;
“ The characteristic features of the Kalmuks* are, eyes placed
obliquely, the large angle of which descending towards the
nose is slightly open and fleshy;eyebrows black, thin, and
forming a low arch ; a peculiar formation of the nose, which is
generally flattened and squatted towards the forehead ; cheek
bones prominent ; head and countenance very round. The
ball of the eye js likewise very brown, the lips large and
fleshy, the chin -short, the teeth very white ; they .continue
fine and sound even in old age. Their ears are of an enormous
size, and loose from the head. All these characteristics
are more o r . less apparent in every individual, and are often
united in one person. I t is a remarkable circumstance, that the
mixture of Russian and Tartar blood with the Kalmuk and
Mongole, produces very beautiful children, whilst those of
Kalmuk and Mongole origin are of misshapen figure; until the*
age of six years they are bloated, and i lll-complexioned ; but
in growth, their features take a more regular form.” -The'following
remark, however, seems scarcely to agree w ith some of
these assertions. - * “ From the relations of many travellers*, We
should be induced to believe that all the Kalmuks have- ugly
and hideous figures. On the contrary, we sèey as well among
the men as women, many round and beautiful- countenances ;
we even see women, who have such beautiful and regülar^a*
tures, that they would find a great number of admirers among
the Europeans.”
In the perfection of the physical senses, tribes who lead a
pastoral life; do not by any means yield to. savage nations,
or those who live by hunting The Kalmuks especially have
the finest sense of smelling, the most perfect hearing, and an
extraordinarily piercing sight. In their journeys and military
expeditions their smell is of great service to them : it discovers
’to them from a great distance fires, or the. scent of a
* M. Abel Rémusat and Jul. Klaproth give this orthography of the Word
Kalmuk.
camp,; .it marks out a. favourable place for encamping, and
the objects which may ^become their,,prey. - Many of them
only-require toib eynear*} tfiejburrow ofya fox,, or the habitation
of any animal, and immediately discover whether, the inmate
is.there or not.; >
By their hearing tljey discQ:y e ^ # still more extraordinary
distances the neisei^qfyic^vahy-' in f Anarch; .the place« occup
ied bvia: suspected enemy ^ a herd, of animajs#>(|r even a
solitary .-one..,, For , this theyt merely lie* down flat ,up©n the
eartb, and. apply ..their ,ear;ifp. the, ground., ,
But-nothing is more admirable than the Q^n^lJphcejpf their
sight,-aqd the extraordinary distanqei-at-*-wh^h^f|om,a,'mpder■
rate, elevatiqn> the’ greater part of) thes Kalmuks:' can*,.discover,
upomthe plain steppe? tjiej smallest!, obj e&ts^hef stycaused
by. a drove f©fi cattle, ;p r ay body frot^thstandipg
the diffienfries! .yvhich ^aeeur dTSr^g:tibIib summer;, the pe-~
oqliar^rundulation of the ".surface ofqthe|igre!und^r!a?idi thgs
vapours. wl^fe* .arise from it into a p.ur.e4^&^^sphere, during
theigr.eat heats .of these igountp&B In, t ^ expedition- .which
Qoabachi, ^ipe-khan of .the Torgpts, made ag^nsfrfhe.people,
duelling below Kouban, the.Kalmuk .ari^y^wbpld certainly
hav,e/-njip3ed fthn<enemy, had if ne^jbeenlfor a Kalmuk [ pfnh|||
common ©lass, who whilst -he-was feeding tbesfrpi^s; dis^ ,
e^.-from^a moderatelyip'lpvated, position,, at, the d ist^ p ^
of thirty versts,*Jthe smoke anjd ,dusk;,of the .enemas,%^my|
He pointed^t-nuhimmediately to.t|t'hose> not, legs^ accustomed
than h im e lS ( wbpst Colonel Kidimskbi|l^yep4hy. thef asgia^
ancesofja felpscppe,) could perceive nothing.;„ ^
The Kalmuks are both in their faces and bj^<fe4^1eBabfy
white; atdeasb: their children are all ofthajpcplfrur.. But#he
jGUstomf.of.,the lower, people-tb :lefetheir , children,-run] abpujt
naked, under the sun and the smokefof. their felt- tents, apd
the: habit of the men to sl.eiep# during the,,gm&m'enwith no
- other 'covering than a pair- of drawers,,|^ntoishthei^|c0teur
generally' tawny. On the .other h a n ^ th e f ^ om ^ la r ^ o f te n
very whitew In the .upper c l a s s , . g q delicate
and pale, that it heightens the blackhes&jof iheir-hair 0 asndr in
that particular as well as in the tout ensembte'of their: countenances,
the Kalmuks resemble the portraits of the Chinese.