70 THE TAKIN 



save native hunters. Mr. Meares, the companion 

 of the unhappy Lieutenant Brooke, who, a few 

 years ago, was murdered in Lolo-land, claims to 

 have been the first white man to shoot a speci- 

 men. Major Malcolm McNeill, D.S.O., has suc- 

 cessfully stalked them near Tatsien-lu in Western 

 Szechuan, as also Mr. Zappe, an American; Dr. 

 J. A. C. Smith, our companion, killed one in 

 Shensi in 1910, but otherwise, so far as I am aware, 

 none have been killed by Englishmen, though 

 specimens of young animals have been obtained, 

 probably from native hunters, by the American 

 Museum of Natural History at New York. There 

 are several known varieties. 



1. The typical form found in Assam and Bhotan 

 (Budorcas taocicolor). 



2. That found in Western Szechuan and Eastern 

 Thibet (Budorcas tibetanus}. B. sinensis and 

 B. mitchelli are regarded as synonymous with this 

 species. 



3. Budorcas bedfordi, found in Shensi. 



In the Tsinling Minshan ranges, a practically 

 continuous mountain range running due east and 

 west, they are in certain districts common, ranging 

 from Chow-chih in the east to Li-shien in the west. 

 Due west of the westernmost extremity of the 

 Tsinling Mountains there appears to be a gap, the 

 Peshui River, as the upper reaches of the Kialing 

 are called, being their boundary in this direction. 



4. They are said, on good authority, to be found 

 in the mountains of Northern Shansi, due west of 

 Peking. 



5. Takin are known to exist near Pie-kou in 

 Southern Kansu. To our great regret we were 



