Evening star., 1900-11-24
China is Today a Wonderful Hunting
Ground.
BEARS AND WOLVES STILL ABOUND
Many Varieties of Deer and Birds
in Abundance.
NATIVES ARE BAD SHOTS
EFittcn for The Evening Star.

WRITTEN for The Evening Star.
China is the last great game preserve
in the world. Mary will he surprised l
learn thai notwithstanding the 6ense poI
Iation of China and the centuries since the
country has become thckIy populated, ii
il still the best stocked with game of any
country in the world.
Even in the regions about Pekn, now oc-
cUpied by the allied troops, where villages
dot the plains every mile or two and the
population exceeds 1000 to the square mile.
wolves. foxes. raccoons. wease!S and rabbits
ere SO thik as to be pests. while such game
as pigeons. quail. grouse and rice birds
are found in immense iocks. The wolves
Of China are particularly numerous and
fearless. and many lives are lost every win
H,er from their depredations.
The Chinese farmers do not live on the
lend that they cultivate. but gather them
selves in small villages every mile or two.
For protection from the wolves which in
fest that country these Villages are usually
surrounded by mud walls, on which are
painted large white rings. These white
rings are for the purpose of frightening the
wolves away. the Chinese believing that the
wolves think that the rings are the rising
kun, or else traps which they must avoid.
ana in fear of which they stink back to
their lairs-
busy with their crops to give much atten-
ton to exterminating pests or taking game,
hui in the winter they gather for great wolf
drives and with their swords and pixies
beat out the fields and kill large numbers
Of the animals.
Their Crude Weapons.
One reason why game is so thick in China
is the absence Of any finished weapon to
hunt with. Although the Chinese Were The
first inventors of gunpowder and firearms
still their shotguns have never been suffi-
GENTLY improved 10 be of much service in
lruating In the first place the Chinese
have never invented or used the percussion
cap. Their gul. barrels roughly cast
any many Of the cheaper ones look as Il
made ont of pot metal. The lower end OF
the barrel has a small vent on the side
with Il flash pan attached over the stock
or the gun is a holder shaped like a half
bent finger made of soft steel. and split so
as 10 hold q piece of lighted punk or in
Cerse. To fire his gun the Chnaman fills
the fash pan with powder, blows the ashes
off his punk and then, with his thumb
pushes the holder forward till the light
, punk touches the powder in the flash
pan. BY this time any creature with an
atom of intelligence ia a mile away more
" less and unless something else happens
along opportunely to receive the charge
the shot is wasted. This weapon Is of
little use except for pot hunting. and ii IS
used by the Chinese chiefly for rice birds
shooting ducks from traps. and such other
game as gathers in large flOcks.
The reason for the number of foxes to be
found in China lies in the Chinese belief in
the tTansmigratiOn of souls. The Chinese
think that departed spirits prefer foxes to
any other animals pnSt-murtem hab!ta-
tions. The taking Of game by the Chinese
s chiefly bV means If nets, running n0uScS
and dead-f2lls Quail and rabbits are taken