Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-11-05
The Animals of Thibet and India.

on the abovo subject read before the British
Association for the advancement of Science
by Herr r. Schlagintweit
The existance of the Yak, or Tibetan OK
in wild state has been repeatedly doubted
but we Fl equently found wild yaks. The chief
localities where we met with them were both
sides of the range which separates the Indus
from the Sutej, near the origin of the Indus
and near the envirous of Gartok but the
greatest number of them was ut the north
of the high Karakerum range, as we'll as to
the south of the Kuenluen, Turkistan. In
Western Thibet, particularly in Ladak, there
are no more yaks in wild state at present,
though have no doubt that they have for
merly existed there. They seem to have been
extirpated here, the population being, though
very thin, little more numerous than in Thib-
ct in general. AS Ladak has been occasionally
more visited by travellers than any other part
of Thibet, the want of the yak here has proba-
bly, given rise to the idea that they are no
more to be found in wild state at ALL
Amongst all quadruped animals the yak is
found at the greatest height it stands best
the cold of the Snowy Mountains, and is least
affected by the rarefed air. But at the same
time the range of temperature in which yak
can live is very limited the real yak can
scarcely exist in Summer in heights of 5000
feet We often found large herds of wild yaks
from thirty to forty-in heights of $4,000
to l8, 900 English feet and one occasion we
traced them even as high 1890 feet-a re-
markable elevation, as it is very considerably
above the limits of vegetation, and even more
than 1000 feet above the snow line The hy-
brid between the yak and the Indian COW is
called Chooboo, and it is very remarkable that
the Chooboos are fertile.
The Chooboos, which are most useful do
mestic animals to the inhabitants of the Him
alayas, are brought down to lower places,
where yaks do not exist, and where, conse-
quently, they cannot mix either with yaks or
with the Indian cow. We had occasion to
see and examine the offspring of Chooboos as
far as to the seventh generation, and in all
these cases we found the later generations nei-
ther much altered nor deteriorated and We
were moreover informed that there was never
found any limit as to the number of genera
tions. The Kiang or wild horse, has been
often confounded with the Korkhar, or wild
ass, though they differ considerably in appear
auce, and inhabit countries with very dissimi.
lar climates. The Kiang exists in the high
cold regions and mountains of Thibet-the ass
in the heated sandy plains of Sindh and Be
Ioochstan. The Kiang is found in great num-
bers nearly in the same localities as the yak
he does not, however, go up the mountains so
high as the yak, but the range Of his distribu-
tion is greater than that of the yak
The greatest elevation where we found XII
angs was Is, 600 English feet, while We traced
yaks as high up as 1890 feet. The regions
where the yak and the kiang are found are,
in geological point of view, altogether one
of the most remarkable and interesting of our
globe. The highest absolute elevation coin
cides here, it is true, with the greatest height
of the snow line rather it causes the snow line
to be higher. But those high plateaus and
regions, though free from snow and ice in sum-
mer, remain desert throughout the year
The amount of vegetation on them is less than
it is in the Desert between Suez and Carlo, in
Egypt. Nevertheless, these high, sterile re-
gions are inhabited by numerous herds of large
quadrupeds and besides those already men,
toned numerous species of wild sheep, ante
lopes, and few canine animals, chiefly wolves
as we'll as hares, are abundant. The herbv-
orous animals find here their food only by
travelling daily over vast tracts of land, as
there are only few fertile spots, the greater
part being completely barren.
The great scarcity of vegetation, partcu-
larly the entire absence of MOSES and lichens,
has very different effect, though an indirect
one. on the occurrence of birds. The small
plants are the chief abode of insects, the want
of MOSES and lichens coinciding with total
absence of hurnus, limits, therefore to its
minimum the occurrence of insects, the excu-
sve food of small birds in all extremely eleva-
ted parts of the globe, where grains are no
more found. We indeed met, travelling twenty
days between heights of IA 900 to
Is, 200 feet, only with three individuals be-
longing to species of Fringilla, but occasion
ally few large carniyorous birds, ms vultures
were met with. The Gorkhar or wild ass, an
animal, which, as | mentioned before, has
been often confounded with the Kiang, or
wild horse, inhabits chiefly the rather hilly d-
stricts of Beloochistan, part of the sandy
plains of Sindh, and it is to be found, if am
not mistaken, to the westward of Beloochis-
tan, in Persia, where it is called koolan.
DR.. Barth lately told me, that, according
to the description have him, he thinks the
asses he saw in Africa identical with the
Gorkhars, or wild asses of Sindh and Beloo-
chistan. 1 will now try to give an explana-
ton about the fabulous Unicorn, or animal
which is said to have one horn only This an
imal has been described by Messrs. Hue and
Gabet the famous travellers in Eastern Thib-
ct, according to informatio they received, as
q species of antelope with one horn placed un-
symmetrically on his head. When my brother
Hermann was in Nepaul he procured speci-
mems of horns of wild sheep mot of an ante
LOPEZ of very curious appearance. At first
sight it seemed to be but one horn placed on
the centre of the head but, ca closer exami
nation, aud after having made horizontal Sec
tion of horn, it was found to consist of two
distinct parts, which were included in horny
envelope, not unlike to two fingers put in one
finger of glove. The animal, when Young,