CHAPTER II 



THE FORESTS AND LAKES OF THE 

 F£N HO BASIN 



AFTER the Clark Expedition, described in 

 Through Shen-Kan, had been brought to 

 a close in T'ai-yiian Fu, I decided to continue the 

 work of scientific exploration provided that funds 

 were forthcoming and that I could find a suitable 

 companion. Both conditions were soon fulfilled. 

 My wife would make a more than suitable com- 

 panion, while financial arrangements were made 

 whereby I could carry on my work, sending the 

 results to the Smithsonian Institution. 



Returning to T'ai-yiian Fu from the coast, my 

 wife and I at once set about preparations for an 

 extended journey up the valley of the Fen Ho, a 

 large tributary of the Yellow River which flows 

 from north to south down two-thirds of the 

 western portion of Shansi province. 



Before starting, however, we decided to do a 

 little work in the immediate vicinity. 



Accordingly we hired a cart and took our outfit 

 on to the plain, pitching our tents about five 



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