144 Sporting Notes in the Far East. 



Previous to the commencement of hard weather ; geese, 

 duck, and plover, are to be shot in these marshes ; and they call 

 again in the early spring, on the break up of the ice : unfortunately 

 none of these birds are ever present in large numbers, and also the 

 facilities for bringing them to hand are by no means good. 



Pheasant shooting near Tientsin, there is none ; but residents 

 sometimes get leave to shoot at a place called Wei-chang, a preserve 

 of the Emperor's, away in Mongolia. 



The district consists of a long enclosed valley, and is reserved 

 for pheasants, and pheasants only. 



Wei-chang has one unsurmountable disadvantage, that being 

 the immense distance that has to be traversed on ponies, in order 

 to reach it ; and it requires at least six weeks leave to make a 

 visit worth while ; namely a fortnight to get there, a fortnight for 

 shooting, and a fortnight for the return journey. 



CHEFOO. 



With the directions for Chefoo I hardly know where to make a 

 beginning. The shooting is so scattered, unsatisfactory, and above 

 all, so very uncertain, that to make a good bag is nothing more or 

 less than a matter of pure luck. 



For a single day's shooting I recommend landing on the West 

 beach, and trying the several small marshes that come in turn 

 when walking in a direct line (under the sand-hills) from the beach, 



