CAMPS AND TRAILS IN CHINA




CHAPTER I


THE OBJECT OF THE EXPEDITION

The earliest remains of primitive man probably will be found somewhere in
the vast plateau of Central Asia, north of the Himalaya Mountains. From
this region came the successive invasions that poured into Europe from the
east, to India from the north, and to China from the west; the migration
route to North America led over the Bering Strait and spread fanwise south
and southeast to the farthest extremity of South America. The Central Asian
plateau at the beginning of the Pleistocene was probably less arid than it
is today and there is reason to believe that this general region was not
only the distributing center of man but also of many of the forms of
mammalian life which are now living in other parts of the world. For
instance, our American moose, the wapiti or elk, Rocky Mountain sheep, the
so-called mountain goat, and other animals are probably of Central Asian
origin.

Doubtless there were many contributing causes to the extensive wanderings
of primitive tribes, but as they were primarily hunters, one of the most