378 SPOUTING IN BOTH HEMISPHERES. 



CHAPTER XXYI. 



CHINA SHANGHAI SNIPE AND OTHER SHOOTING EXCURSION TO THE 



TAI-HOTJ, OR GREAT LAKE PHEASANT-SHOOTING CORMORANT-FISHING 



SOU-CHEOU-FOU TAI-HOU, OR GREAT LAKE ISLANDS AND SCENERY 



SHANGHAI RACES DEPARTURE FROM CHINA. 



AFTER rather a long voyage from the port of Auckland 

 (New Zealand), we dropped anchor in the Shanghai river, and 

 opposite the town of Woo Sung, in the month of April, 1856. 

 The surrounding country presented an appearance of 

 illimitable space, perfectly flat, covered with standing crops 

 of all descriptions, intersected by ditches and canals, and 

 dotted with towns, villages, joss-houses, and other curious- 

 looking Chinese buildings. Few trees were visible, and 

 these chiefly consisted of clumps of bamboo in the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood of the houses. The river is guarded on 

 both sides by prodigious and solid embankments, to prevent 

 inundations during the rainy season. These form a pleasant 

 and convenient promenade, and from the summit a good bird's- 

 eye view may be obtained of the surrounding country. The 

 canals and intersections are all spanned by bridges, so that 

 there is no impediment to the traveller on this highway. 

 Several sampans or small Chinese boats being alongside of 

 us, together with a fellow-passenger I took my gun, and 

 landed on the left side of the river. Having ascended the 

 bank, we observed amongst the fields, in the immediate 

 vicinity, several ponds or rather tracts of standing water, 

 evidently the remains of former irrigation, and some large 

 flocks of what we considered to be wild-fowl swimming on 

 the surface. On a nearer approach we discovered that the 



