like a ball over the stones on the slope. Luckily it fell at the beginning of the ascent, so that the drop was only a few dozen fathoms. Strange to say, it got off with a few wounds and a completely broken saddle. To-day I sent Lukanin to Qulja to buy a new saddle and fetch rusks and other supplies, for which I had long been thinking of sending. He is to meet me in the gorge of the river Dshirgalan, which should not be more than three days' journey from Qulja along the Ili.
The Kirghiz again received me very well. I have an excellent yurt which seems wonderfully comfortable after Aghias. Fresh milk and some tinned food bought in Qulja are a very pleasant change from the diet of the last few days. My host, the Kirghiz judge, has gone to Qulja, but his wife and some other Kirghiz do all they can for me. In addition to a pack-horse that my host gave me on my last visit, I have exchanged a stallion that was of no use to me for a pack-horse that looks strong and capable. The readiness with which my brown stallion was accepted, shows the lack of discrimination in choosing horses for stud purposes. It is a pity that the excellent supply of mares and luxuriant grazing grounds are not used to better purpose.
Both yesterday and to-day I have been taking anthropological measurements all day, yesterday 19 Kirghiz or Khazaks, as they are called here, and to-day 19 Kalmuks from the Surgan summun. In order to obtain rather more complete results among the Kalmuks in particular, whom I will not see any more, I have decided to stay here to-morrow.
Nasumbatoff, whom I had informed of my arrival as agreed, arrived this morning escorted by about twenty Kalmuk soldiers. At a distance they looked well, with their three large red flags with Chinese inscriptions in white. At close quarters they make anything but a military impression. The men are of all ages. Their horses are very small and ill fed, but unspoilt owing to their training, and form good material judged by local con-
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