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Show 1876.J CAMEL OF CENTHAL AS IA. u!-J7 peditioll, which, as I learned afterwards, is supported by extensi ve aid from the Russian Government. Colonel Przewalsky has been, as is well known, collecting very successfully in Thibet. I had the pleasure of seeing a good part of his collections in St. Petersburg, now incorporated in the fine Museum of the Academy of Sciences; and I must say that I have rarely seen more interesting collections. Oolonel l'rzewalsky had the good fortune to bring home speci mens of the wild Yak (Bos g1'unniens), which is indeed a most beautiful and huge animal, totally unlike the specimens in our Zoological Gardens. Besides, I was pleased to see fine specimens of Kemas hodgsoni, Antilope picticaudata, and, above all, especially as an oruithologist, examples of many fine and uudoubtedly new species of birds. "When in the Arcad Mountains, 150 versts above Semipalatinsk, where we made a successful hunt after Ovis argali, we became acqU lintrd with Mr. Kamensky, a gentleman who is fitting out a large expedition, half mercantile and half scientific, to China, in order to open the route traverseu by Colonel Lassnowsky from Pekin to the frontier of Russia by Saissan. After reaching this latter place by way of Tschugutscheck, conducted by Major Tichannoff, we obtained more notices as to the occurrence of the Camel wild. MI'. HaddoW, an intelligent merchant, who has long resided in Saissan, and has made many trips into Northern China, told me the following on this subject, mostly based upon the reports of native Tanguts, as MI'. Harkloff had never had the opportunity of seeing the wild Oamel himself :-' The wild Camel has two humps; the size is nearly the same as that of the tame; hut it is larger and higher on the legs. It is of a uarker colour than the tame; and the white around the nose is much clearer and paier. The wild Camel is to be found 250 versts south-east from Saissan, in the district of Kahano (i. e. bloody hill), part of the desert of Gobi. In the spring they pair; and the time of gestation is the same as with the tame Carn,el. The Tanguts and Kirgizes hunt the wild Camel and eat its flesh; also they use the hair. The wild Camel is said not to be shy, and accordingly not difficult to obtain. Amongst the wild Camels live a species of Kulan, different from the common Equus onagel', of a pale yellowish colour, which is known by the Tanguts under the name of " Surtaga." , "Major Tichannoff had also the kindness to inquire on this subj ect of an intelligent and experienced Kirgiz, who reported as follows :" 'The Kirgizes hunt anel eat the wild Camel; it is not t.o be tamed. It lives in the western part of the High Gobi, called Kanaha, about 200 versts from Saissan. " , According to an old legend, there was a rich Kirgiz, who had so many camels anu horses in his possession that he was unable to take care of them. A great quantity escaped, the camels became wild, and the horses became Kulans. " 'The wild Camel is much larger, higher on the legs, and has a much finer and softer wool than the tame kind; it runs faster than tIle Horse' it is of a red-brown colour, darker than the tame. The weight is about 40 to 48 pud; and it requires four tame Camels to |