154 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



authentically shot by a foreigner. L'Abbe David secured the 

 first examples of this race through native hunters in 1869, from 

 the quasi-independent principality of Mupin.^ In 1893-4 a 

 Russian traveller, M. M. Berezovski, secured specimens from 

 the Kansu-Szechuan border. I have no precise information as 

 to just how this traveller obtained them, but I was told, when 

 travelling through this region, that natives shot them and sold 

 them to him. But this is all quite modern. Marco Polo heard 

 of these animals during his travels in this region and speaks 

 of them as "very wild and fierce animals" under the name 

 of " Beyamini," probably having in mind the wild cattle of 

 Bohemia. 



In the Field newspaper of 15th July 1905 appeared an 

 article under my signature drawing attention to the game 

 animals of Western China, and the Takin in particular. This 

 article attracted attention, and two or three sportsmen visited 

 that country in quest of this animal. Ill-health caused one of 

 them to abandon the enterprise when nearly on the ground. 

 A second was boycotted by Chinese officials at Tachienlu, and 

 his expedition rendered abortive thereby. In 1908 I was again 

 in Western China, and I invited my friend, Captain Malcolm 

 M'Neill, to join me and try and secure this animal. He came, 

 and success crowned his efforts. 



In 1908 there were three distinct parties after this Chinese 

 Takin, and each party secured trophies. The first specimen 

 authentically shot and killed by a foreigner fell to the rifle of 

 Mr. Walter R. Zappey on 27th May 1908. Mr. C. H. Mears, 

 the companion of the ill-fated Mr. J. W. Brooke, followed closely 

 on Mr. Zappey's heels, securing his trophy on or about 30th 

 May.^ In August, Captain M'Neill, shooting in the petty state 

 of Yutung with hunters supplied by the Chiala chieftain, 

 happened upon a herd in open country, and killed several. In 



^ Much confusion has arisen through wrongly calling this country Eastern 

 Thibet. Politically the region belongs to China proper, forming part of 

 Szechuan province. Since the boundary generally is ill-defined on all maps, 

 and the country peopled largely by non-Chinese races, the term Chino- 

 Thibetan borderland (see ante, Vol. I, Chap. XII) may be employed for the 

 entire region. But it should be remembered that, so far, every specimen 

 of the Takin has been taken in China and none in Thibet proper. 



^ See Life of John Weston Brooke, by W. N. Ferguson, p. 136. 



