weeks when the grass is most succulent he actually
mows it down with swift jerky swings of his head, cutting about twenty
or thirty stalks with his sharp long front teeth. Then he allows his
grass to cure and later puts up his prepared hay in a most scientific
manner. First he makes a mound about a foot high. Through this he pushes
down into the ground four slanting stakes, converging toward the middle
of the pile, and binds them close over the surface of the hay with the
longest strands of grass, leaving the ends protruding enough for him
to add another foot to the height of the pile, when he again binds the
surface with more long strands--all this to keep his winter supply of
food from blowing away over the prairie. This stock he always locates
right at the door of his den to avoid long winter hauls. The horses and
camels are very fond of this small farmer's hay, because it is always
made from the most nutritious grass. The haycocks are so strongly made
that one can hardly kick them to pieces.

Almost everywhere in Mongolia I met either single pairs or whole flocks
of the greyish-yellow prairie partridges, salga or "partridge swallow,"
so called because they have long sharp tails resembling those of
swallows and because their flight also is a close copy of that of the
swallow. These birds are very tame or fearless, allowing men to come
within ten or fifteen paces of them; but, when they do break, they go
high and fly long distances without lighting, whistling all the time
quite like swallows. Their general markings are light grey and yellow,
though the males have pretty chocolate spots on the backs and wings,
while their legs and feet are heavily feathered.

My opportunity to make these observations came from traveling
through unfrequented regions by the urga, which, however, had its
counterbalancing disadvantages. The Mongols carried me directly and
swiftly toward my destination, receiving with great satisfaction the
presents of Chinese dollars which I gave them. But after having made
about five thousand miles on my Cossack saddle that now lay behind me
on the cart all covered with dust like common merchandise, I rebelled
against being wracked and torn by the rough riding of the cart as it was
swung heedlessly over stones, hillocks and ditches by the wild horses
with their equally wild riders, bounding and cracking and holding
together only through its tenacity of purpose in demonstrating the
cosiness and attractive