The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-08-06
RARE ANIMALS or THlBET.
Many Creatures Found in the Inhos-
pitable Land Are Curious in
Western Museums.

II Thibet offers no attractions to th,
tourist who requires luxurious travelling
10 the sportsman and the naturalist /
is a yeritable paradise, though far from
Edenic in some respects, says the Lon
don Mail.
One OF the largest Of the mammalia /!
the yak, or GruHting OK. Standing be.
tween five and six feet high at the shout.
ders, the bulk of this strengthening
creature Is lot a little exaggerated by
the enormous growth of hair upon the
lower part Of the body and tail. Be-
meath the outer coat, moreover, there is
a layer Of fine wool known as "pushm. II
which is highly priced for the making
OF cloth. The extraordinary tail is one
of the most conspicuous features Of
Thibetan mOnasteries or lamaseries. be.
Ing suspended on poles as streamers.
Throughout the east these tails are dyed
red and fixed to the roofs Of summer
residences as pendants, Living near
the region Of perpetual snow, and of
herce disposition. the hunting of the
YAK is not to be lightly undertaken.
In spite of temper, however, it is easily
Gomesticated, and forms an invaluable
beast OF burden, being wonderfully sure
looted and capable of carry great
weight. 1t is, however, unable to eat
corn and forced marches. exhaustjne
aliKe to man and beast, are often on this
account necessary.
Barren and inhospitable, the high
tabIelands of Thibet harbor get other
hoofed animals as remarkable as the yak
the chiru antelope, for example. which.
Ike the strange saiga, has developed
an enormous swollen nose. 1t is sun
posed that this enlarged size of the nasal
chamber is directly due to the need of
some special adaptation for breathing
the highly rarified air of these regions.
The little goat, or Thibetan gazeIIe. and
a magnificent wild sheep, the argali. man
age, like the chiru, to thrive where in
summer the sun scorches by day and
icy blasts prevail at night, and herds of
WIG dogs are eyer on the prowl. More
diif1cult to stalk than any other Thibetan
game, the argali still further allures the
sportsman by the fact that it carries
superb horns, which may attain a length
OF 40 inches, and a girth of 20 inches al
the base. Old rams will leap from a
height Of 80 feet with confidence.
The ibex and a very remarkable ami
NAL known as the bhard, or blue sheen
oil Ih1bet, but which appears to be more
goat than sheep, also deserve mention
here. The snow deer, a beast nearlv as
as the great wapiti, has very seldom
fallen to the gun of the European. No
complete specimen has yet been sent to
Europe. In this country it is represent
ed only by five skulls and horns in the
British museum, and as many more IN
iiiferent private collections. The horns
ire OF great size, the record in the num-
Der OF points-13-is in the British
The spread between the fins
the horns is over ground. Little is
about the creature, but it is con-
ectured that this celebration is protec-
i've, harmonizing with patches of snow
black rocks among which It lives
ohe or the most brilliantly colored Of
III monkeys is to be found in Thibet. II
S known as the orange snub-nosed
monkey. 1t lives in troops among the
aller trees. After its color. the next
'onsplcuous feature about this ANNA,
its tip-tilted nose.
inc great cats are worthy represent
d by the rare snow leopard, a specimen
I which is o to be seen at geological
ardens in London. Only twice previous
/, mas 1t been brought to this country
live.