Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18
SMITHSONIAN GETS
RARE SPECIMENS
David C. Graham, Visiting in
U. S. From Western China,
Brings Ric, Collections.

That service in the increase OF
knowledge is no sinecure is revealed
by the experiences of David G. Ora
ham. volunteer collector of natural
history objects for the Smithsonian
Institution in China, who is at present
in this country on leave. For the past
six years Mr.. Graham has been col.
Letting mammals. birds. insects, rep
tiles. crustaceans, mollusks. archeo.
logical and chronological material in
the Province of Szechwan, China.
During this time he has had to face
the dangers attendant upon civil war,
bandits have forced him to flee for
his life, superstition has driven him
empty-handed out of rich collecting
Inelds and he has Skirted preciptces
with nothing but a 3-foot path be.
tween him and 6,000.foot drop.
In spite of all these dangers and OBJ
stacles, Mr.. Graham has gathered to-
gether and sent back to the Smith
eonian rare and valuable specimens
running into the thousands. Lack of
funds has prevented the institution
from making intensive studies of all
the material sent in, but what work
has been done has already shown the
collections to contain five new kinds
OF reptiles never described before, four
kinds of flies, four new birds and be-
tween 100 and 200 new kinds Of moths
and butterflies.
Trained Native Assistant.
AS a result of Mr.. Graham's work,
the Smithsonian is obtaining the most
extensive natural history collection
I, from western China existing in this
country. Hitherto America has had
practically nothing from western
China. It was that fact which in
duced Mr.. Graham to undertake to
collect in his province. He was con-
stantly meeting nationals of European
countries collecting for their muse
: umS, and as Szechwan is very rich
from natural history point of view,
he felt that American science also
should be represented.
Mr.. Graham is able to devote full
time to collecting only in the Sum-
mer, but he has engaged and trained
a native collector who works all the
year round, and he takes advantage
of every opportunity for field work
himself. On his return to Szechwan
he plans to increase his staff of ma
tive helpers to three or four.
The archaeological material which
Mr.. Graham brought hack with him
for the Smithsonian includes a series
of specimens showing the evolution OF
the burial of sacrificial objects with
the dead. In the early history of
China it was customary to kill sery-
ants and bury them with the master
so that they might serve him in the
spirit world. In time this was rec,
ognized as too barbarous a custom,
and sculptured heads of clay were
substituted for living sacrifice. At
first these objects were unglazed, but
as the Chinese learned glazing from
the Western world they began bury
ing glazed heads, not only of people.
but of chickens. cattle and other ami.
mails.
Paper Sacrifices Offered.
Still later they started burying
paper money with the dead TO finance
their journey through the spirit
world. This suggested to the Chinese
that paper people, as well as paper
houses, carriages and whatever other
conveniences might be found useful
In the hereafter. would do Just as well
as the real thing. SO now it is the
custom at a Chinese burial to burn
paper models of the conveniences Of
life beyond the grave.
Another interesting gift from Mr..
Graham is wool cape with a fiowery
design done by the aboriginal Mao
on the edge of Thibet It is believed
that this cape is the only museum
specimen of this work in existence.
A horsehair switch and a long
miniature spade, used by the Taoist
priests for Kidding the air of demons.
were also brought back by Mr..
Graham.