EXPLORATIONS OF THE REV. DA\'ID C. GRAHAM IN 

 WESTERN CHINA 



Bv CHARLES W. RICHMOND, 



Associate Curator, Division of Birds. U. S. National Miiscuni 



The Rev. David C. Graham, u'ho has been exploring various parts 

 of w^estern China for several years in the interests of the Smithsonian 

 Institution, resumed his work in the latter part of 1927, after a year 

 of study in the United States. He and his Chinese collectors worked 

 as opportunity offered in the vicinity of his headquarters at Suifu, in 

 the Province of Szechuan, and upon occasion he sent them as far as 

 Kiating and Yachow, to the north and west. This collecting resulted 

 in the accumulation of over 11,000 specimens, consisting roughly of 

 1,000 vertebrates and over 10,000 invertel)rates, all of which have now 

 reached Washington and are in process of examination by the various 

 curators. Among some non-zoological specimens sent in are 100 or 

 more artifacts obtained from old burial tombs near Kiating in January, 

 1928. Dr. Graham writes that these tombs are of the Han Dynasty, 

 though '' popularly believed to be pre-Chinese caves formerly inhabited 

 by the Mantsis or aborigines." His success in finding these artifacts 

 was due to " the fact that the collecting was in a section that has been 

 ]M-actically overlooked by Chinese and foreigners who were interested 

 in collecting such materials in the past.'' The specimens include a 

 variety of subjects, such as the " right front half of a small dog with 

 a pug nose," " remnant of a face ; has earrings and is evidently the 

 face of a pretty woman," and " part of a hen with a chicken on its 

 back." Referring to another specimen. Dr. Graham writes, " One 



box contains a Miao suit It has a story. The Miao boy brought 



his sister to Suifu to learn weaving. When the boy went away, the 

 Chinese sold his sister as a slave. He was poor and could not get 

 her back. By selling the garment to me for eight dollars he got 

 just enough money to buy her freedom again. He says he will get me 

 a much better garment later at a reasonable price." 



During the summer season Dr. Graham has been in the habit of 

 making extended trips to more remote parts of the province, and has 

 visited Sungpan, Tatsienlu, and the mountain Washan on such occa- 

 sions. For several years he has planned a visit to Moupin and vicinity, 

 a locality of zoological importance through the work done there years 

 ago by the Abbe Armand David, but each year he found that war, 



23 



