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 a roedeer. The road to-day has led through beautiful countrj'. 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'eng. I 

 shot a duck this evening. I found a beautiful snake down by the water's 

 edge. It is very long and extremely thin. Of a 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 



