i82 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



THE PANDA 



This richly coloured animal is rare in Szechuan, but more 

 common in Yunnan. In the former province it occurs in the 

 south-west corner beyond the Chiench'ang Valley, frequenting 

 the forested and brush-clad country between 5000 and 10,000 

 feet altitude. In Chungking, Sui Fu, Chengtu, and other cities 

 the skin is often on sale. 



In the shape of its head, short, broad face, and short ears 

 this animal is very catlike ; the claws too are partially retractile. 

 The limbs are short and stout ; the soles of the feet furry ; 

 the tail is 16 to 18 inches long ; stout, cylindrical, and ringed 

 at intervals like a civet-cat. The fur is long, soft, rich, dark, 

 ferruginous on back, shoulders, and flanks ; under-parts, black ; 

 claws, white ; soles of feet, greyish ; forehead, chestnut with 

 rufous stripe running down from the eye to near the snout ; 

 face, lips, edges, and inner surface of ears, white ; outer surface 

 of ears, dark red. 



The Chinese Panda ranges from 38 to 44 inches, tip to tip, 

 and weighs 9 to 10 lbs. It is darker and rather larger than the 

 typical Himalayan species, and has been recognized as a 

 distinct race under the name of Ailurus fulgens styani. Its 

 colloquial name is " Chu-chieh-liang," which refers to the 

 nine rings on the tail. 



THE PARTI-COLOURED BEAR OR GIANT PANDA 



This unique animal [Ailuropus melanoleucus) is perhaps 

 the most interesting beast found in Western China. Originally 

 discovered by I'Abbe David in Mupin (1869), it was again met 

 with by M. M. Berezovski in the Kansu-Szechuan frontier 

 during 1892-94, but so far there is no record of a foreigner 

 having killed a specimen ; those obtained by the above 

 collectors were taken by natives. Several skins, more or less 

 imperfect, have reached Europe within recent years, but no 

 foreigner has so far seen a living example. The natives of 

 the Chino-Thibetan borderland know this animal well and call 

 it the " Peh Hsiung " (White Bear). In Chinese literature 

 it is referred to as the "Pi." Skins are, on rare occasions, on 

 sale in Chengtu, where they command high prices. In that 



