Red Admirals or Painted Ladies would predominate. In the streams were 
small minnow-like fish, large green frogs, and funny little crabs, which hid 
beneath the rocks and stones. The natives said that otters were to be found 
in this district, and Grant saw one creeping through the tall grass on the bank 
of a large stream. The party enjoyed some good deer-stalking at a place 
named Miao-ts’un, which was situated right in the heart of this charming 
sylvan country, and where we stayed a day for the purpose. 
The following is an extract from Sowerby’s diary for August 15th :— 
‘This morning we were off by 7 o'clock. A little way down the valley I 
put up aroedeer. The road to-day has led through beautiful country. Some- 
times we would be travelling along the sides of the clear stream where 
kingfishers could be seen and butterflies and flowers were abundant. At other 
times we would be skirting the base of the hills. On either side the slopes 
were wooded, but more especially on the southern side. Occasionally we 
would pass a farmstead built in the loess on the northern side of the valley 
(i.e., facing south). The valley bottom was filled for the most part with 
magnificent fields of hemp and millet and occasionally buckwheat. Numerous 
flocks of sheep and herds of red cattle could be seen grazing along the slopes. 
We caught some nice flies during the day. Butterflies, both common and 
rare, were very numerous. In the afternoon I rode on ahead to select a 
camping-ground, and put up two more deer not far from here. We have 
pitched camp on a grassy stretch close to the village of T’ai-pei-ch’éng. I 
shot a duck this evening. I found a beautiful snake down by the water’s 
edge. It is very long and extremely thin. Ofa brown colour, it has a white 
stripe down the middle of the back, with dark mottlings. The natives say 
there are otters here. I found some crabs in the river higher up.” : 
The following day the border-line between Kansu and Shensi was crossed. 
The caravan camped that night at a large village named Hai-shui-ssii, situated 
in a picturesque valley, just at the point where it narrows down to a few 
hundred feet. A peculiar spur of rock rises high beside the village, and on its 
crest is built a pretty temple. On the road between this place and Fu Chou, 
two days further east, numerous large flocks of sheep and goats were passed. 
These poor animals were on their way to Shansi, and had already come a 
great distance. Before reaching Fu Chou we crossed another large loess 
plateau, from which we descended into the broad valley wherein that town is 
situated. There were no suitable inns, and we pitched our camp in an open 
space before a large temple. 
For the three following days our journey was in a northerly direction, 
76 
