SPORT IN WESTERN CHINA i6i 



Unicorn is general ; they declare that it frequents the country 

 immediately to the west. A friend of mine who accompanied 

 the Younghusband Expedition to Lhassa saw a number of 

 Chiru, and he assured me that when seen in profile nearly 

 every animal appeared to have but a solitary horn. The 

 Unicorn figures prominently in Chinese mythology, where, 

 under the name of " Ki-ling," it is placed at the head of all 

 hairy animals. Its influence is always benevolent, and it 

 appears at the birth of men destined to become great sages 

 and wise beings. Its last advent was at the time of Confucius's 

 birth (552 B.C.) ! 



DEER 



Of Cervus proper three species at least are found in the 

 forested regions of theChino-Thibetan borderland, distinguished 

 by the natives as " black," " white," and " red " respectively. 

 These Deer are sadly persecuted for their horns when in velvet. 

 Fortunately, it is the males only that are so keenly sought 

 after, otherwise they must have become extinct ere this. The 

 full extent of this dreadful trade it is impossible to determine, 

 but the following figures will give some glimmering of its 

 enormity. In his Report on a Journey to the Eastern Frontier 

 of Thibet (presented to both Houses of Parliament, August 

 1905), speaking of the trade of Tachienlu (p. 80), Sir Alexander 

 Hosie says : " Deer horns in velvet, to the value of Tls. 30,000, 

 are exported annually." Earlier (p. 38) he gives the value 

 of these Deer horns as 2 to 20 rupees per catty (i catty = 

 i| lb. English ; Rs. i =Tls. 0-3 approx.). 



In his " Journey to Sungpan " [Journal China Branch, 

 Royal Asiatic Society, 1905, vol. xxxvi. p. 38), Mr. W. C. 

 Haines- Watson gives 1500 catties of Deer horns in velvet, 

 valued at Tls. 30,000, as the annual export from Kuan Hsien. 

 Again, on page 41, he puts the annual export of Deer horns in 

 velvet from Sungpan at Tls. 15,000. There are other places 

 like Chungpa, Kiung Chou, and Sui Fu where a large annual 

 export of Deer horns in velvet obtains, but no figures are 

 obtainable. However, the above is sufficient to indicate how 

 great a slaughter of stags there must be annually in these 



VOL. II. — II 



