Wild Camels Research Articles

Preliminary analysis of Psoroptes ovis transcriptome in different developmental stages.

BackgroundPsoroptic mange is a chronic, refractory, contagious and infectious disease mainly caused by the mange mite Psoroptes ovis, which can infect horses, sheep, buffaloes, rabbits, other domestic animals, deer, wild camels, foxes, minks, lemurs, alpacas, elks and other wild animals. Features of the disease include intense pruritus and dermatitis, depilation and hyperkeratosis, which ultimately result in emaciation or death caused by secondary bacterial infections. The infestation is usually transmitted by close contact between animals. Psoroptic mange is widespread in the world. In this paper, the transcriptome of P. ovis is described following sequencing and analysis of transcripts from samples of larvae (i.e. the Pso_L group) and nymphs and adults (i.e. the Pso_N_A group). The study describes differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and genes encoding allergens, which help understanding the biology of P. ovis and lay foundations for the development of vaccine antigens and drug target screening.MethodsThe transcriptome of P. ovis was assembled and analyzed using bioinformatic tools. The unigenes of P. ovis from each developmental stage and the unigenes differentially between developmental stages were compared with allergen protein sequences contained in the allergen database website to predict potential allergens.ResultsWe identified 38,836 unigenes, whose mean length was 825 bp. On the basis of sequence similarity with seven databases, a total of 17,366 unigenes were annotated. A total of 1,316 DEGs were identified, including 496 upregulated and 820 downregulated in the Pso_L group compared with the Pso_N_A group. We predicted 205 allergens genes in the two developmental stages similar to genes from other mites and ticks, of these, 14 were among the upregulated DEGs and 26 among the downregulated DEGs.ConclusionThis study provides a reference transcriptome of P. ovis in absence of a reference genome. The analysis of DEGs and putative allergen genes may lay the foundation for studies of functional genomics, immunity and gene expression profiles of this parasitic mite species.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1856-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Study on the polymorphism of POU1F1 gene in sheep

In this study, POU1F1 gene polymorphism was detected in five sheep populations (large-tailed Han, small-tailed Han, Yuxi fat-tailed, Lanzhou large-tailed, and Mongolian sheep), using DNA pooling and sequencing, to provide theoretical basis for the breeding of excellent sheep varieties. Three single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci of POU1F1 gene were detected in five sheep populations, namely C355T (C/T), C71G (C/G), and C330G (C/G). C and T frequencies of C355T were 0.67/0.33, 0.81/0.19, 0.67/0.33, 1.00/0.00, and 0.93/0.07, respectively, in large-tailed Han, small-tailed Han, Yuxi fat-tailed, Mongolian, and Lanzhou large-tailed sheep. C of C355T locus was the dominant allele in five sheep populations. C and G allele frequencies of C330G locus were detected in Yuxi fat-tailed sheep; their frequencies were 0.75 and 0.25, respectively. C and G allele of C71G locus were only detected in Yuxi fat-tailed and large-tailed Han sheep; their frequencies were 0.87/0.13 and 0.87/0.13, respectively. The cluster analysis based on POU1F1 gene sequence showed that bactrian camel, dromedary, and wild camel clustered first, and dolphin and killer whales clustered according to taxonomy. Although the four species Tibetan antelope, buffalo, goat, and sheep were alone, they got close and the relative genetic relationship was intimate according to the dendrogram. The mutation site analysis of the POU1F1 gene in five sheep populations in this study would be favorable for uncovering the function of POU1F1 gene deeply.

The major histocompatibility complex in Old World camelids and low polymorphism of its class II genes.

BackgroundThe Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is a genomic region containing genes with crucial roles in immune responses. MHC class I and class II genes encode antigen-presenting molecules expressed on the cell surface. To counteract the high variability of pathogens, the MHC evolved into a region of considerable heterogeneity in its organization, number and extent of polymorphism. Studies of MHCs in different model species contribute to our understanding of mechanisms of immunity, diseases and their evolution. Camels are economically important domestic animals and interesting biomodels. Three species of Old World camels have been recognized: the dromedary (Camelus dromedarius), Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and the wild camel (Camelus ferus). Despite their importance, little is known about the MHC genomic region, its organization and diversity in camels. The objectives of this study were to identify, map and characterize the MHC region of Old World camelids, with special attention to genetic variation at selected class MHC II loci.ResultsPhysical mapping located the MHC region to the chromosome 20 in Camelus dromedarius. Cytogenetic and comparative analyses of whole genome sequences showed that the order of the three major sub-regions is “Centromere - Class II – Class III – Class I”. DRA, DRB, DQA and DQB exon 2 sequences encoding the antigen binding site of the corresponding class II antigen presenting molecules showed high degree of sequence similarity and extensive allele sharing across the three species. Unexpectedly low extent of polymorphism with low numbers of alleles and haplotypes was observed in all species, despite different geographic origins of the camels analyzed. The DRA locus was found to be polymorphic, with three alleles shared by all three species. DRA and DQA sequences retrieved from ancient DNA samples of Camelus dromedarius suggested that additional polymorphism might exist.ConclusionsThis study provided evidence that camels possess an MHC comparable to other mammalian species in terms of its genomic localization, organization and sequence similarity. We described ancient variation at the DRA locus, monomorphic in most species. The extent of molecular diversity of MHC class II genes seems to be substantially lower in Old World camels than in other mammalian species. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2500-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comprehensive Review on Peste Des Petits Ruminants [PPR] Disease in Ruminants and Camels: with Emphasis on Clinical Signs and Histopathological Finding

Comprehensive Review on Peste Des Petits Ruminants [PPR] Disease in Ruminants and Camels: with Emphasis on Clinical Signs and Histopathological Finding Peste des petits ruminants [PPR] is a highly acute disease of small ruminants with high morbidity and mortality. The geographic distribution of disease is almost global. The PPRV affecting small domestic and wild ruminants and camels. PPRV is a lymphotropic and epitheliotropic virus which causes conjunctivitis and rhinotracheitis, stomatitis, gastroenteritis and pneumonia. Histopathologically, pseudomembraneous [necrotic] stomatitis, necrotic tonsillitis, fibrinohemorrhagic enteritis, proliferative interstitial pneumonia suppurative bronchointerstitial pneumonia, multi-nucleated giant cells [syncytia] and cytoplasmic and/or nuclear eosinophilic inclusion bodies are considered as pathognomonic signs. An acute form usually is seen in goat and is similar to rinderpest. The classic feature of PPR is a severe respiratory disease. The subacute form, usually occurs in sheep, but also possible in goats. Control and prevention program is based on vaccination, quarantine, movement control and sanitary slaughter and disinfection.

Activity patterns of wild Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) in the northern piedmont of the Altun Mountains, China

There are significant gaps in our knowledge of wild camel ecology; especially the activity patterns that allow them to adapt to desert environments. The wild Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a critically endangered species that survives in the extreme desert conditions of Central Asia. We conducted camera trapping surveys at seven watering sites in the northern piedmont of the Altun Mountains from 2010 to 2012. We analyzed the frequency of photo-captures to elucidate the wild camels’ diel activity patterns, and the seasonal variation in their activity at watering sites. We found that these wild camels were predominantly diurnal at watering sites, with an increase in relative activity from sunrise, reaching a peak toward midday, and then gradually decreasing in activity until sunset. The camels visited watering sites more often in winter than in summer. These results provide a guide for water development in the conservation of ungulates in arid areas.

Qualitative study of wild camels (Camelus ferus) home range in Lop Nur, China

Qualitative study of wild camels (Camelus ferus) home range in Lop Nur, China

Wild camels in the lop nur nature reserve

The wild camel (Camelus ferus) is the only surviving species of the genus Camelus. Fewer than 1,000 of these two-humped wild camels survive today in one of the most hostile regions on earth. The wild camel is classified as critically endangered (CR) in the IUCN Redlist and it is one of the top 100 Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species identified by the Zoological Society of London. Two centuries ago, over 10,000 wild camels were once distributed throughout the arid area of Central Asia. Due to human activity and environmental change in the last century, the distributing range of wild camels has been reduced and wild camel populations have decreased rapidly. Lop Nur and its adjacent areas became the last refuge for wild camels. A field survey estimated there were 340–420 wild camels in the Lop Nur area in 1997. A quarter of a century later, we used the line transect method to investigate the whereabouts of wild camels along 14 line transects in the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve (LNWCNNR) during the spring months from 2010 to 2013. According to this four-year observation, the wild camel's density in the Lop Nur area was estimated to be 0.068±0.025/km2 (density ± standard error) and the population size was 638 ± 251, calculated with Distance®. LNWCNNR carried out patrolling and a public education programme, controlled poaching and unauthorised field expeditions in the reserve. LNWCNNR also channeled water from the valley of Arjin mountains to the Gobi for the use of the wild camel. Therefore, the wild camel population in Lop Nur is slowly recovering after more than a decade of protection by the authorities of the LNWCNNR.

Grouping behavior of wild camel (Camelus ferus) referred from video data of camera trap in Kumtag Desert

Grouping behavior of wild camel (<i>Camelus ferus</i>) referred from video data of camera trap in Kumtag Desert

Space and habitat use by wild Bactrian camels in the Transaltai Gobi of southern Mongolia

Wild Bactrian camels (Camela ferus) are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and only persist in some of the most remote locations in northern China and southern Mongolia. Although the species has been recognized as an umbrella species for the fragile central Asian desert ecosystem and has been high on the conservation agenda, little is known about the species’ habitat requirements, with most information coming from anecdotal sightings and descriptive studies. We compiled the only available telemetry data from wild camels worldwide. Seven wild camels, which were followed for 11–378 monitoring days, covered a total range of 28,410km2, with individual annual ranges being >12,000km2 for three animals followed over a year. Camels reacted strongly to capture events, moving up to 64km from the capture site within a day, whereas normal average daily straight line distances were 3.0–6.4km/day. Camels showed a preference for intermediate productivity values (NDVI, habitat type) and landscape parameters (distance to water, elevation) and an avoidance of steep slopes. Our telemetry results suggest that wild camels still range throughout the entire Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area (SPA), are highly mobile, and very sensitive to human disturbance. Their habitat preference may be a trade-off between dietary and safety requirements. Small sample size did not allow the development of a full habitat model testing all variables simultaneously and we urgently call for more data from additional wild camels as a foundation for evidence driven conservation actions.

Identification and management of a single large population of wild dromedary camels

AbstractThe dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a significant invasive species in Australia. It is an unusual pest species that is of large body size with relatively low fecundity compared with other pest species. Camels are highly adapted to the arid regions that characterize a large proportion of Australia and occupy an almost completely undisturbed area of ≥3 million km2. They have no history of invasion elsewhere in the world. Despite this, their population has been expanding at approximately 80,000 camels per annum, with the most recent estimate of population size around 1,000,000 individuals. We employed a landscape‐genetic approach to evaluate the population structure and molecular ecology of Australian camels. We combined mitochondrial control region sequence (n = 209 animals) with 18 microsatellite markers to profile over 800 adult camels to identify the presence of a single panmictic population. We showed that demographically defined neighborhoods for wild camels are about 200 km; this value was supported by home range estimates. Distances greater than this display no pattern of isolation by distance across the Australian continent. The result is the largest single geographical population so far recorded for an invasive species in Australia. This pattern may be explained by the impressive and near‐nomadic dispersal pattern of camels, in combination with an unpredictable environment virtually devoid of barriers to movement and predatory suppression. Although it is technically feasible, the reality is that it would not be economically or politically viable to have continental eradication of wild camels in Australia because of the vast size and movement dynamics of the camel population. As such, we advocate a change away from an expensive solution to an intractable reduction program (that is almost entirely focused on protection of biological refugia) and moves to include cultural, economic, and biodiversity asset protection for the management of this most unorthodox of invasive species. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

High mitochondrial differentiation levels between wild and domestic Bactrian camels: a basis for rapid detection of maternal hybridization

Hybridization between wild species and their domestic congeners often threatens the gene pool of the wild species. The last wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) populations in Mongolia and China are examples of populations facing such a hybridization threat. To address this key issue in the conservation of wild camels, we analysed wild, hybrid and domestic Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) originating from Mongolia, China and Austria. Through screening of an 804-base-pair mitochondrial fragment, we identified eight mitochondrial haplotypes and found high sequence divergence (1.9%) between C. ferus and C. bactrianus. On the basis of a mitochondrial DNA sequence fixed difference, we developed a diagnostic PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay to differentiate between wild and domestic camel samples. We applied the assay to 81 individuals and confirmed the origin of all samples including five hybrids with known maternal ancestry. The PCR-RFLP system was effective for both traditional (blood, skin) and non-invasive samples (faeces, hair), as well as for museum specimens. Our results demonstrate high levels of mitochondrial differentiation between wild and domestic Bactrian camels and that maternal hybridization can be detected by a rapid and reliable PCR-RFLP system.

Monophyletic origin of domestic bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) and its evolutionary relationship with the extant wild camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus)

The evolutionary relationship between the domestic bactrian camel and the extant wild two-humped camel and the factual origin of the domestic bactrian camel remain elusive. We determined the sequence of mitochondrial cytb gene from 21 camel samples, including 18 domestic camels (three Camelus bactrianus xinjiang, three Camelus bactrianus sunite, three Camelus bactrianus alashan, three Camelus bactrianus red, three Camelus bactrianus brown and three Camelus bactrianus normal) and three wild camels (Camelus bactrianus ferus). Our phylogenetic analyses revealed that the extant wild two-humped camel may not share a common ancestor with the domestic bactrian camel and they are not the same subspecies at least in their maternal origins. Molecular clock analysis based on complete mitochondrial genome sequences indicated that the sub-speciation of the two lineages had begun in the early Pleistocene, about 0.7 million years ago. According to the archaeological dating of the earliest known two-humped camel domestication (5000–6000 years ago), we could conclude that the extant wild camel is a separate lineage but not the direct progenitor of the domestic bactrian camel. Further phylogenetic analysis suggested that the bactrian camel appeared monophyletic in evolutionary origin and that the domestic bactrian camel could originate from a single wild population. The data presented here show how conservation strategies should be implemented to protect the critically endangered wild camel, as it is the last extant form of the wild tribe Camelina.

Walk My Country

Walk My Country Robyn Davidson (bio) Darwin is coming up somewhere ahead, in the dark. Thirty hours semicircling Earth to get here, in which time the moon has turned the right way up and summer has passed into winter. I check the internal landscape for signs of the physical happiness that, in the past, has accompanied the approach to my homeland, but there is nothing. Good. That is partly what this trip is for—to lay to rest the ghost of Australia and to pay my respects to an old man who died before I could say goodbye. The porthole cover snaps up, and there, framed to perfection, is the Southern Cross. Happiness punches me right in the sternum. The coastline creeps towards us, a line of darker darkness. There should be waves thundering on cliffs to overture such a landmass. But the sea is quiet, and the forest slips into it modestly. Did the first arrivals come across a quiet sea at night, not knowing whether that darkness ahead marked an island as small as the one they left behind, or another world? It is now generally agreed that the first human footprint appeared on terra Australis fifty thousand years ago, give or take several millennia. However, in Aboriginal belief, the ancestors were—and are—eternally present, and given that poetic and scientific truths need not be mutually exclusive, I have no trouble accepting both views. South of Darwin, the forest begins balding. Sand ridges form, like veins under the skin of an old woman's hand. I'm gazing down at ancient skin… or canvas, covered in dots and feathery rhapsodic layers of polymer, an Aboriginal, Western-desert painting of the kind that now fetches big money in international art markets. Nearly thirty years ago, I experienced a period of intense solitude in that landscape, a time that was to transform my life in ways I could never have predicted. I had arrived in Alice Springs, a frontier town in the dead centre of the continent, with nothing but a peculiar idea and the arrogant stubbornness of youth. The peculiar idea was to get myself some wild camels from the bush, train them to carry my gear, and then wander around the desert with them. I had no particular affection for camels but couldn't afford a four-wheel-drive. Besides, I wanted to walk my country, experience it at the pace that existed before mechanical speed violated our perception of time's relation to space. Most of all, I wanted to learn something [End Page 7] of the people who had translated the Australian landscape so elegantly and so successfully. I had never seen an Aborigine. They were as remote to me as the ancient Greeks. In 1977, after two years of preparation, I walked from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean across 2700 kilometres of "desert." The emptiness, so vast and frightening at first, turned into the original garden as soon as I learnt how to be in it. But like all grand passions, it demanded I give myself to it completely. That I stay. And that I could not do. An old Pitjantjatjara man accompanied me for a time. When I first met him, he was wearing a woman's slipper on his right foot and an enormous Adidas running shoe on his left. He was about 130 centimetres high and half blinded by trachoma, but he had what all the older Aboriginal people seem to have: a kind of rootedness, a gravitas, and a sense of humour that comes from being at home in the world. He stared up into my face, laughed, pointed to himself, and said, "Mister Eddy," his only two words of English, and then we headed west together, following, more or less, a segment of his own Dreaming story: the topographical features created by his ancestor, the original dingo man, at the beginning of time. Some part of me has never returned from that journey, so I often have the disconcerting sensation that an alien version of me, buried and shadowy, haunts my everyday life, mocking any attempt to be "normal." One version of me attends literary events in...

Species-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplification of Camel (Camelus) DNA Extracts

A sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method based on amplification of a specific DNA fragment was established for the identification of camel (Camelus) materials. The species-specific primer pair L183/H372 was designed based on the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, and its specificity was confirmed by amplification of 3 camel (domestic double-humped camel, wild double-humped camel, wild one-humped camel) samples and 11 non-Camelus animal (sheep, goat, pig, chicken, cattle, fish, dog, horse, donkey, deer, and rabbit) materials. An expected 208 base pair fragment was amplified from camel materials; no cross-reactive or additional fragments were generated from other animal materials. Taq I restriction endonuclease digestion of the unpurified PCR product can be used routinely to confirm the camel origin of the amplified sequence.

The two‐humped camel (Camelus bactrianus): new light on its distribution, management and medical treatment in the past

Eastern and north‐eastern Iran and the adjacent Kopet Dagh foothills in south‐western Turkmenistan have been postulated to be the region where the domestication of the two‐humped camel took place. However, none of the evidence so far brought forward for in situ domestication in this area holds up to closer serutiny. Moreover, the postpleistocene distribution of the wild camel (Csmelus ferus) did not include Central Asia. Consequently, we claim that the region where the two‐humped camel was domesticated must lie further to the east.Among the peoples with a long‐standing tradition in camel husbandry are the Chinese, as is illustrated by the antiquity of the texts on camel diseases and their treatment. In this contribution, the oldest camel treatise handed down in literature is presented and discussed.

The wild Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus ferus in China: the need for urgent action

Between 31 March and 28 May 1995 and 5 April and 2 May 1996 two expeditions carried out surveys of the status and distribution of the wild Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus ferus in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China, the last known habitat of the subspecies in the country. The surveys revealed that the wild camel is highly endangered in China, due to illegal mining and hunting. An estimated total of 380–500 individuals remain and immediate action is needed to ensure their survival.

The wild Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus ferus in China: the need for urgent action

Between 31 March and 28 May 1995 and 5 April and 2 May 1996 two expeditions carried out surveys of the status and distribution of the wild Bactrian camel Camelus bactrianus ferus in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China, the last known habitat of the subspecies in the country. The surveys revealed that the wild camel is highly endangered in China, due to illegal mining and hunting. An estimated total of 380–500 individuals remain and immediate action is needed to ensure their survival.

Across Central Asia

AT the meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, on April 9, Mr. St. George Littledale read a paper on his recent journey across Central Asia. Mr. and Mrs. Littledale left England in January 1893, with the intention of crossing Asia from west to east, filling up some blanks in the map, and procuring specimens of the wild camel. After purchasing nearly two pony-loads of silver Yamboos, known on the Chinese coast as Sycee Silver, they travelled in carts to Kurla, where they organized a caravan of twenty ponies and forty donkeys, and followed the river Tarim to Lob Nor. They camped by the Lob Nor swamp, but found the water too salt near the edge to drink; by wading out some distance they were able to get some less brackish, which was just drinkable. Along the Altyn Tag range, as far as the Galechan Bulak, there was a certain amount of water and grazing. This was the point where the great Russian traveller, Prjevalsky, turned back; but beyond, the desert was of an appalling nature—hardly any grass was to be found, and water was very scarce; all the men suffered greatly from thirst, the animals lost flesh rapidly, and many died. Water as a rule was only found every second day. Mr. Littledale in this district shot four wild camels, one of which he has presented to the British Museum. Prjevalsky's wild horse was not seen. The guides were thorough scoundrels, and tried to wreck the expedition in everyway; on one occasion they denied the existence of a spring from which they were discovered getting water secretly during the night.

Geological Notes

ACCORDING to the last news received from M. Prjevalsky, he reached, on September 12, tha boundary of Southern Tsaïdam, and thus entered the great highway which leads from China to Tibet. Detailed information as to his journey of last year from Kami to Sha-jeu, appears now in the Izvestia of the Russian Geographical Society. Khami is at the extremity of the sandy steppe described as the Mouschoun Gobi; it is a desert, nearly quite deprived of vegetation. For fifty miles are seen only immense spaces of clay covered with gravel; the temperature at the beginning of June reached as high as 38° Cels., and the soil had sometimes a temperature of 68° Cels. Journeying must be done in the night. No large animals, except the antelope and the wild camel, which comes from the deserts of Lob-nor, were seen. M. Prjevalsky crossed this desert in a south-eastern direction for 232 miles, and reached the oasis of Sha-jeu, a very fertile one, being the best tract of Central Asia, after Kulja. A high ridge of mountains covered with snow, the Altyn-tagh of Lob-nor, here joins the Nian-shan of Koko-nor. Thus the question as to the junction of these two systems of mountains is solved definitely. M. Prjevalsky stayed for a month in Sha-jeu, seeking for guides to Tsaidatn, and finally he found in the mountains three Mongols who agreed to serve as guides, so that he could reach Tsaïdam, going first south-west to Lake Serten and thence to Lake Koko-nor.

From Kulja, across the Tian Shan, to Lob-Nor

COL. PREJEVALSKY has already proved himself one of the most scientific and determined of modern explorers, and has probably done more than any single man for an accurate knowledge of Central Asia. We have noticed in these pages his valuable work on his journey in Mongolia and Western China, and this narrative, short as it is, maintains the reputation he has already gained. The journey here described was made in 1876–7, and has been the means of clearing up several obscurities in the hydrography of the region visited. We have already, shortly after Prejevalsky's return, given the main results of the journey, from Kulja, south-east across the Tian Shan Mountains, by the Yulduz River, to the Tarim, and along that river to its termination in Lake Lob-nor, at the northern foot of the Altyn-tagh Range, on the 90th deg. of E. long., and just south of the 40th parallel N. Baron von Richthofen has endeavoured to prove that the present Lob-nor is not the Lob-nor of the old geographers, which he maintains was farther north. But to this Prejevalsky has an answer that it seems to us difficult to refute, notwithstanding that Richthofen probably knows more about the history of Central Asian geography than any one living. However the case may stand with regard to this, there can be no doubt about the value of Prejevalsky's observations on the present Lob-nor, which he states is fresh, shallow, almost overgrown with tall reeds, in the midst of which its strange mongrel inhabitants live, and of which they build their houses. The Altyn-tagh Mountains Richthofen considers the most surprising discovery of the Russian traveller, for it was generally supposed that there was an extensive tract of low country continuing through several degrees of latitude to the south of the lake. Prejevalsky's observations on the fauna of the Tarim and Lob-nor will be appreciated by zoologists, as will also his account of the wild camel. He has a special interest in ornithology, and above all in that department relating to the migrations of birds; and the part of his narrative which describes what he observed on this point during his stay at Lob-nor is one of exceptional value, and will, no doubt, be read with interest and profit by those who take an interest in the subject of migration. Mr. Delmar Morgan, who has made an excellent translation, has added to the brief narrative chapters on Lake Balkash, Lake Ala-Kul, and the Starovertsi, which, though somewhat irrelevant, are acceptable as being of real value. An excellent large map accompanies the volume, besides a smaller one, to illustrate the controversy between Prejevalsky and Richthofen.