222 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



approached he was asked not to shoot the 

 ducks which were in the lake, as a Chinese 

 sportsman was in the water ; awaiting to 

 see what would happen, he saw the sports- 

 man, nearing the shore, wearing a large 

 bamboo collar. He was carrying a basket 

 in which were a few wild and three tame 

 ducks secured together by a string. His 

 dress was of goatskin with the wool inside; 

 the stockings were stitched to his clothing, 

 and thus accoutred he immersed his body, 

 using the cangue as a float. On his hat 

 were placed bunches of grass, and on the 

 cangue two or three decoy ducks. He 

 would thus approach the wildfowl and, 

 when near enough, dexterously catch the 

 unsuspecting duck by the leg and drag it 

 under the water. My friend states that he 

 watched the sportsman until he had filled 

 his basket with wild ducks. 



Reference has been made to some of the 

 emperors of China who were fond of sport. 

 Fortunately there is an account in Marco 

 Polo's writings of a hunting expedition of 

 the Emperor Kuhblai Khan, and as the des- 

 cription may prove interesting I reproduce 

 it in the words of Polo who writes as an eye 

 witness. The Venetian writes as follows : 



