Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-08
RARE ANIMALS.
Strange Creatures Found by the Hun
ter in Thibet.

From, the London Mail
II Thibet offers no attractions to the tour
list who requires luxurious travelling, to the
sportsman and the naturalist it is a YER
table paradise though far from Edenic In
some respects. -,
ono of the largest OF the mammalia is the
yak or grlInting OK. Standing between hVe
- Nv feet high at the shoulders, the bulk
nf this strange-looking creature is not
little exaggerated by the enormous grown
of hair upon the lower part or the Dody
ord tail Beneath the outer coat, more
60 there is a layer of fine wool, known as
'snusbirn" which is highly priced for the
waking of cloth. The extraordinary tall IS
one of the most conspicuous features oI
Tbibetan mOnaSterieS or lamaSerles. pelns
suspended on poles as streamers. through
out the east these tails are used as ny
whisks and in China they are dyed RED
and fixed to the roofs of summer residences
as pendants. Living near the region Oh
parpetual snow. and of fierce d1sposltion'
tba limiting of the yak is not to be nShtiy
undertaken. In spite of temper, however
IL is easily dOmesticated, and forms an IN, III,
valuable beast of burden. being wonderluhy
.ure- footed and capable of carrying great
weIshts 1t is however, unable to eat corn,
and forced marches, exhausting allke 10
man and beast, are often on this account
necessary.
Barren and inhospitable, the high table
lands of Thibet harbor yet other hooieo
animals as remarkable the yak-the
chiru antelope, for example winch IKE tiie
strange saiga, has developed an enormous
swollen nose. 1t is supposed that TINS en-
larged size of the nasal chamber is directly
due to the need of some special adaptation
for breathing the highly rarif1ed air or
these regions. The little goa, or Ihlbetan
eazelle and a magnificent wild sheep' the
argali manage, like the chiru. where IN
summer the sun scorches by day ana ICY
blasts prevail at night. and herds OF wild
dogs are ever on the prowl. More dlIlcult
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 forty-eight inches
and a girth of twenty inches at the base
Old rams will leap from a height OF thirty
feet with confidence.
The ibex and a very remarkable animal
known as the bharal. blue sheep of
Tibet but which appears to be more goat
than sheep. also deserves mention here.
The snow deer a beast nearly as big 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 represented only by five
skulls and horns in the British Museum,
and as many more in different private col
lections. The horns are of great size. the
record in the number of ponts-thirteen-
Is in. the British Museum. The spread be-
tween the tips of the horns is over ground.
Little is known about the creature. but 1t
Is Conjectured that this colora ton is pro-
tective. harmonizing with patches of snow
and black rocks among which it lives.
One of the most brilliantly colored of all
monkeys is to be found in Thibet. 1t is
known as the orange snub-noSed monkey.
IT Ives in troops among the taller trees.
After its color the next conspicuous feature
about this animal is its tip-tilted nose.
The great cats are worthily represented
by the rare snow leopard. specimen OF
which is now to be seen in the Zoological
Gardens in London. Only twice previously
has 1t been brought to this country alive.