286 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



Arguments as to the weights of different 

 kinds of game only too often arise, that of 

 snipes in particular. The largest snipe I 

 ever saw was shot by the late Wm. Cooper 

 near the Three Water during the eighties. 

 He brought it on board my boat, and 

 weighed on a little scale I happened to have 

 with me, 8^ ounces. It was a Swinhoe. 

 I have seen a few birds since which drew 8 

 ounces, but I do not know that a heavier 

 than the above mentioned bird has ever 

 been shot. 



Woodcocks sometimes run to a great 

 weight. Veisch, of the Hongkong Bank 

 once shot a cock that weighed rather over 

 1 8 ounces, while I myself once accounted 

 for a woodcock shot on the Bubbling Well 

 Road, close to the Race Course which the 

 day after being killed weighed 16 ounces. 

 The presumption is that ij weighed more 

 than this when freshly shot. 



Of the prolificness of the common river 

 deer there are many instances. One in- 

 stance I specially remember. The deer was 

 shot by Mr. Wm. Cooper, and on being 

 opened by Dr. Henderson and myself the 

 uterus was found to contain seven embryos. 



