The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-20

! China is the pheasant which ranges over
| the whole Empire from the Amur River
/ south to Canton, and from The east coast
! to the moutains of SZuchwan. The COM
! mon varieties with the gold and silver
/ pheasants are well known but Szuchwan
/ is the home of two varieties not so COM
monty known-the SNOW pheasant. which
Is pure white. with small red wattles and
comb. and the Pallas which is remark
| ably brilliantly colored: it is called by
! the Chinese the h0ki. OF >re hen.
! The southern province are remarkable
for spe les of monkey wAich has the most
wonderful coloring to be found cn fur
| bearing animal. 1t Is large, the adult
/ standing from three to four feet high.
The face is orange. with band across the
of yellowish hair, with band across The
| forehead The body and the upper part of
! the forearms are light brown with longer
hairs of grey interspersed. The lower
/ parts of the arms are pure white, while
| the hands and thighs are most intense
| black The tail and large triangular
| spot over it are also white while the legs
| are a brilliant red. more grotesque
! animal cannot be found. and it matches
! well in its variegated colors the gold fish
J and Mandarin ducks which are also pecu-
/ liar TO China.
| China is also remarkable for being the
home of the most northern species OF
monkey known; these live in the noun
| tains north about Pekin in latitude CT
40 to 10 degrees north. Its hair is thick
and of light brownish color. The face
is greenish but turns white If the animal
is kept long in captivity. They enjoy
playing in the snow and apparently suffer
! none from cold. They are easily tanned
| and remarkably intelligent but as they
/ grow to such large size. reaching nearly
| four feet in heighk they soon become too
! large to make good pets. Szuchwan also
| has a species of ape which lives in the
higher mountains 1t is heavily named
! to protect II from The cold and has strong,
| brawny arms. II is called by the Chinese
! the run-hiung, or the man bear. which
name they have given 1t because of its
human form and the fact that 1t hiber-
mates like a bear. 1t is said to be good
eating, and is considered great delicacy
| by the Chinese.
| Many parts of China are infested by
| herds of wild dogs. which are hunted
/ mainly for their fur. The dog skins Of
/ Newchwang are a recognized brand IN the
| market They have long. fine black hair
with curled bushy tails, with black or
! sometimes pale yellow bellies. They are
probably the original species from which
! the modern Eskimo dog has sprung.
There are a great many varieties OF wild
/ sheep and wild goats. which are killed for
their skins. and the dressed carcasses are
! taken to the game markets of the north.
The domesticated sheep of China are pc
| cuiiar for their bread tails, which are at
tached to the body all the way across the
rump and measure about ten inches long
and about four inches thick. The tail is
! solid mass of tallow. over which the sheep
has no control except to give it slight
wiggle. The sheep are white with black
heads. and make most excellent mutton.
China also contains many varieties of
pigeons and doves. The country about
nearly all of the great cities is full of
them. The natives are very fond OF them
for food. and the eggs and blood Of pig
cons are regarded as preventive of small
pox The Chinese are great pigeon fan
ciers. ard one OF their great sports is the
stealing of pigeons from one another's
cotes This is done by fastening whistles
on the tails OF their own pigeons for the
purpose OF attracting the pigeons from
other 1ocks. and thus bringing them back
to their own cotes when wearied with fly
ing TT air of the cities is full OF the
soft acc Ian notes Of these pigeon whis-
ties.
AS there is so much marsh and swampy
country in China it is natural that II
should be a great country for snipe and
ployer These are trapped by a prepa-
ration of quicklime spread along the
shores. into which the birds run and stick
fast. China, of course. Is known as the
greatest duck country in the world. There
are probably more domesticated ducks
used in China than in all the world be-
side And with her enormous system OF
rivers and lakes it is natural that geese,
swans, mallards, teal, and Mandarin
ducks should abound in great quantities
These are sometimes killed from traps
with the old Chinese muskets, but in
some parts the natives flood their rice
fields and then with empty gourds over
their heads wade out into the fields
among the ducks, catching them by the
feet and pulling them under.
The great sport of falconry, which once
numbered among its devotees all the
courtiers Of Europe, now survives alone
in China The emperors OF the Mongol
dynasty were famous for their love of
falconry, and it is said that they en-
pIoyed no less than Is 900 attendants in
their hawking excursions. The love Of
the sport survives to this day. Falcons,
hawks, and eagles are all taught to pur-
sue their quarry. and one of the sights
of Pekin today is the great fall
con market in the southern city, just
| outside tlc great Chen Nun, or Merid-
ian Gates. of the Tartar City. Here
thousands OF hooded birds are exposed for
| sale, on great racks. In Mongolia the
|
| chase, and is quite commonly used in
hunting deer.
! The ichthyology OF China is rich. The
streams, lakes, and rivers abound with fish
| of all kinds. and even the sea along the
coast is particularly rich in choice varie-
| ties. It is probable that fish forms the
! greatest single article OF diet except rice,
and one of the great peculiarities Of the
| fish market is that fresh fish are nearly
! always sold alive. You go to the markets
| and find shallow tubs and tanks full OF
| wriggiing fish. from which you select the
one you desire. 1t Is delivered to you
! alive. and no household Is complete with
| out the great crockery barrel or kang in
| which Che fish are kept alive until they
| are ready to be cooked.
| China is an undiscovered land to our
! great army of sportsmen, but with the set
| Element of the present disturbance those
! who still hope to enjoy the dangers OF
| bagging large game will find almost their
| last opportunities there. while those who
| are looking for big bags Of lesser game
will find in the moOrs and mountains and
streams and lakes Of China richer rewards
for the sportsman's quest than can be
found anywhere elsesin the world.
Japanese House Gardens
CFrom the New York SUM