70 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



reply to the question whence the birds 

 came, as does the stereotyed phrase "from 

 Pootung" to the lips of the Shanghai 

 salesman when asked the source of his 

 supplies. The two descriptions of Trag- 

 opans best known in China are those named 

 after Temminck and Cabot. The former 

 are found in "southwestern and central 

 China, extending from the Mishmi hills 

 through Szechuen to southern Shensi and 

 Hupeh". The range of the latter is south- 

 eastern China, and the Fokien mountains 

 where it is said to be fairly abundant. 



Detailed descriptions of these China 

 pheasants will be found in the various 

 natural histories. Particularly happy in 

 descriptions and illustrations is the edition 

 published by Edward Lloyd, Ltd., London. 



Bamboo partridge (Bambuscola thorac- 

 ica) : This bird held in such high esteem as 

 a table luxury, and spoken alliteratively of 

 as "the table's toothsome tit-bit" is neither 

 a partridge, afrancolin or colin, but partakes 

 of the characteristics of all three. It is not 

 a partridge for its flesh is white and not dark, 

 it is found in the thick covert and in the 

 open, and it usually, but not invariably, 



