Oriental and western Siberia : a narrative of seven years' explorations and adventures in Siberia, Mongolia the Kirghis steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia / by Thomas Witlam Atkinson.

  • Thomas Witlam Atkinson
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Oriental and western Siberia : a narrative of seven years' explorations and adventures in Siberia, Mongolia the Kirghis steppes, Chinese Tartary, and part of Central Asia / by Thomas Witlam Atkinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    63/712 page 47
    I shall now bid farewell to the Tchoiissowaia and to Europe, and cross the Onral into Asia, where my wanderings will he far and wide. Still I carry along with me many pleasing recollections of this region, and the kind people J found there. 1 have a remembrance also of a dilferent sort, — occasioned by a cut on my knee from a fall among the rocks of this wild river—which it seems likely I shall retain through life. During my stay in Serebrianskoi, the Director, who was a great s])ortsman, wished to give me a day’s repchick (tree- partridge) sliooting. It was arranged that we should start early in the morning, as a few hours before ten o’clock, and in the evening after four, are the best times to find this game. We were both armed with pea-rifles, with which th^y are usually shot when sitting on the branches. Each sportsman is provided with a quill, formed into a whistle, and with this he imitates so well the call of the birds, that they instantly respond. By this means they are easily found in the thick forest, and fly from tree to tree, always approaching their supposed mate, when they shortly find their way into the game-bag. A good woodsman was appointed to attend me, who imitated them with so much success that we soon had numbers on the trees around us, affording me plenty of sport. lie was also my instructor in the use of the whistle, which I learned, and before the day’s shooting was over had employed successfully. In after times this accomplishment enabled me to obtain many a meal I could not otherwise have procured. When 1 met the Director at the ap})ointed place for dinner, I had ten brace and a half, and he turned out sixteen brace of repchicks, and a black cock. Ele considered that mine was good sport, but his own was usually better. When 1 left Serebrianskoi, the Director and several other friends accompanied me a few versts on the road to a place in the forest where tea and other good things had
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3