ANTELOPE, MUSK DEER, HORSE, ETC.

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chang, is much more celebrated than the Chinese antelope. This animal roams over a vast extent of alpine territory, from Tibet and Shensí to lake Baikal, and is everywhere an object of eager chase on account of the odorous substance it produces, and which has long been an article of commerce among Asiatic and European nations. Like the chamois, the musk deer inhabits the loftiest cliffs and defiles, and makes its way over rugged mountains with great rapidity. It has no horns, and is not unlike the roe in general appearance, though the projecting teeth make the upper lip look broad. Its color is greyish brown, and its limbs slight. The musk is contained in a pouch beneath the tail on the male, and is most abundant during the rutting season. It is taken in nets or shot, and the hunters are said to allure it to its destruction by secreting themselves and playing the flute, though some would say the animal showed very little taste in attending to such sounds as Chinese flutes usually produce. The musk is often adulterated with clay by the hunters or traders, or when used, is mixed with other substances to moderate its powerful odor. The argali and jiggetai roam over the ranges of the Hingan ling, and their flesh and skins are sought after.

The horse commonly seen in China is a mere pony, not much larger than the Shetland pony; it is bony and strong, but kept with little care, and presents a worse appearance than it would if its hair were trimmed, its fetlocks shorn, and its tail untied. This custom of knotting the tail is an ancient practice, and the sculptures at Persepolis show that the same fashion prevailed among the Persians. The Chinese language possesses a great variety of terms to designate the horse; the difference of age, sex, color, and disposition, are all denoted by particular characPiebald and mottled white and bay horses are not uncommon; but in China the improvement of this noble animal is altogether neglected, and he looks sorry enough compared with the coursers of India. He is principally used for carrying the post, or for military services; asses and mules being more em. ployed for draught in the eastern provinces, and camels in Central Asia. The Chinese books speak of a mule of a cow and horse, as well as from the ass and horse, though it is well known no such hybrid as the former ever existed.

ters.

The elephant is kept at Peking for show, but it is likely that the sixty animals there in the days of Kienlung, when Bell saw

them, have since dwindled to less than half that number.

Van Braam says he met six going into Peking, sent thither by an officer from Yunnan. The deep forests of that province also harbor the rhinoceros and tapir. The horn of the former is much sought after as medicine, and the best pieces are carved into drinking cups, which are supposed to sweat whenever any poisonous liquid is put into them. The tapir is the white and brown animal found in the Malacca peninsula, and strange stories are told of its eating stones and copper. The wild boar occurs in the same extensive region, lying between Siam and China, and also in the mountains in the provinces. They are quite numerous in the hills of Chehkiang, and seriously annoy the husbandmen in the lowlands, by their depredations upon the fields. Deep pits are dug near the base of the hills, and covered with a bait of fresh grass, and many are annually captured or drowned in them. They are fond of the tender shoots of bamboo, and persons are stationed near the groves to frighten them away by striking pieces of wood together with a loud noise.

The Chinese pig is well known for its short legs, round body, crooked back, and abundance of fat. Its introduction into the stys of western farmyards has greatly improved the European breed. The black Chinese breed, as it is called in England, is considered the best pork raised in that country. The Chinese

WILD BOAR AND DOMESTIC HOG.

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are fully aware of the perverse disposition of the hog when driven, and find it much more expeditious to carry instead of driving him through their narrow streets. So uniformly is this done, that loose cylindrical baskets of bamboo, open at both ends, are made for this purpose, in which the hog can easily be carried. In order to capture the obstinate brute, the basket is secured just outside the half opened gate of the pen, and the men seize him by the tail and pull it lustily; his rage is roused by the pain, and he struggles; they let go their hold, whereupon he darts out of the gate to escape, and finds himself snugly caught. A pole is then thrust through the basket lengthwise, on which he is lifted up and unresistingly carried off.

The Quarterly Journal of Agriculture (Vol. III., p. 42) quoted by Mr. Burnet, describes several varieties of the hog known in Europe, among which are the cochon de Siam and the porc de nobles, which have evidently been derived from and improved by the Chinese animal. The cheapness with which pork is fattened, and the usefulness of the hog as a scavenger, make it one of the most profitable animals for the Chinese to rear, though the miscellaneous garbage composing its food deteriorates the flesh. The camel is employed in the caravans which cross the desert,

between Kiakhta and Kalgan, and westward from Kansuh to Hami, Ílí, and the Caspian, but it is rarely seen south of Peking, nor very frequently in that city. Du Halde describes them as having two humps, "covered with thick hair as long as goats; some of them are of a yellowish dun color, others are reddish or ash colored; the legs are not so slender as those of the common camel, and seem better fitted for carrying burdens." The Chinese have employed the camel in war, and trained it to carry small swivels on its back; one sort is called fung-kioh to, or wind-footed camel, on account of its swiftness, it being employed in carrying light burdens and messengers across the desert.

man.

The smaller tribes of animals have their representatives in China, and among them many which are interesting to the sportsStaunton speaks of a species of hare which was abundant in the valleys beyond the Great Wall towards Jeh ho. It resembled the species known in Northern Europe in that it changed its color during winter from brown to white, but was remarkable for the great length of its feet, which formed a broad support in scampering over the snow. Hares, rabbits, squirrels, deer, and other game, are not chased by dogs trained for the purpose, but when the emperor or his grandees engage in the sport, a large space is surrounded, and all the animals in it driven to the centre. Game is brought to Peking in great abundance in the winter in a frozen state, and the list, according to Du Halde, includes bucks, does, wild-boars, goats, hares, rabbits, squirrels, cats, field rats, geese, ducks, woodcocks, pheasants, quails, and several others not met with in Europe. The fox is not unusual; it is a raccoon faced animal, and has been named the Canis procyonoides, from its resemblance. Both the Chinese and Japanese entertain singular superstitions regarding this animal, believing it to be frequently possessed by evil spirits for the purpose of tormenting mankind, and that fairies, gnomes, ogres, and goblins transform themselves into it for the purpose of executing their spite. The wolf partakes somewhat of the same supernatural character. The pelage of the fox, hare, wolf, wildcat, and other fur-bearing animals, furnishes the hair used in the manufacture of writing pencils. Besides these, the martin, ermine, silver fox, ratel, wolverine, sea and land otter, and probably many others, are sought for by hunters through the forests and waters of Manchuria.

ANT-EATER AND SMALL WILD ANIMALS.

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No animals have puzzled the Chinese more than the scaly anteater, manis, or pangolin, and the flying squirrel. The former is regarded as a fish out of water, and is hence called ling-lí or hill carp; also dragon carp, and the "scaly hill-borer." "Its form resembles a crocodile," says one author; "it can go in dry paths as well as in water; it has four legs. In the daytime, it ascends the banks of the stream, and lying down on the ground, opens its scales wide, and puts on the appearance of death, which induces the ants to enter between the scales. As soon as they have done so, the animal closes its scales and reenters the water, and then opens them, when all the insects float out dead, and he devours them at leisure." Another and better observer says it continually protrudes its tongue to entice ants, on which it feeds; and, true to Chinese physiological deduction, he accordingly recommends the scales as a remedy for all antish swellings. The manis is quite common in the southern provinces, and the Chinese employ parts of it for medicinal purposes; they have observed that the scales consist of the agglutinated hair of the body, and are not bony scales.

The flying-squirrel is classed among birds, and one name given it signifies that it is the only bird which suckles its young when it flies. The skin held in the hand during parturition will render delivery easier, "because the animal is of a remarkably lively disposition."*

The porcupine, hedgehog, marmot, weasel, and many species of rats and mice, are known to occur in various parts of the country. The Chinese bamboo rat, or chuh shu (Rhyzomys Chinensis), is found in the western part of Kwangtung. The common Norway water rat has found its way to Canton, where it infests the river banks. The sea-otter has been seen near Macao. The estuary of the Pearl river contains a large species of white dolphin or porpoise, which the fishermen there call pak kí, and regard with great reverence, always setting it at liberty whenever entangled in their nets. It is perhaps allied to the Delphinapterus; the snout is sharp, the body thick and clumsy, from six to eight feet long, and the color a dun white. Porpoises occur in the Yangtsz' kiang, where they are called "river pigs." Whales are found off the coast of Hainan, and gulf of Tonquin,

* Chinese Repository, Vol. VII., pages 48, 91.