(dat ) 
BIRDS USED FOR SPORT IN CHINA. 
At a meeting of the Société Nationale d’Acclimatation held 
some little time ago in Paris, Monsieur P. A. Pichot exhibited a 
curious collection of drawings sent from Pekin by M. Collin de 
Plancy, one of the interpreters of the French legation. These 
drawings, made on thin paper by Chinese artists, were designed 
to illustrate the various methods of taming and training birds in 
China, concerning which M. Pichot gave the following interesting 
account, which we translate from the ‘ Bulletin de la Société’ :—* 
“The birds used for sport in China, as represented in this 
series, may be divided into two classes, the first comprising those 
used for what may be termed violent sport, like game cocks and 
hawks. Unfortunately they are not all represented in this series. 
We miss the great Eagle with white eyebrows, which in certain 
provinces of China has long been trained, as Falcons are in 
Europe, but for catching wolves, foxes, deer, and roebucks. 
Sheng-Ching-t’ung Chih relates that in Mantchouria, towards the 
middle of the eighteenth century, the Emperor Kienlung used to 
fly at Roebuck with the Hai-tung Ching, that is with the Eagle 
with white eyebrows, of which Pére du Halde, in his description 
of China, says :—‘ One of the finest birds is that called Haitsing, 
which is only taken in the district of Han-tchong-fu, in the 
province of Chensi, and in certain cantons of Tartary. It may 
be compared with our finest falcons, although of course much 
larger and stronger. It may be called the king of birds of prey 
in Tartary and China, for it is the handsomest, the keenest, and 
the most courageous. It is, moreover, so highly prized that as 
soon as a specimen is captured it is obliged to be taken to the 
Court, where it is presented to the Emperor, and then handed 
over to his falconers.’ 
““M. Tony Conte has lately given an account of the travels of 
MM. Benoist-Méchin and de Mailly in Turkestan. They brought 
back with them one of these Eagles. To the best of my belief 
it is the same species as that found in Mantchouria, Haliaétus 
albicilla. This bird is now in the hands of one of my friends 
and competitors in falconry, M. Paul Gervais. He has trained 
it, or continued its training, for the bird was brought to Europe 
in charge of a native falconer, and had already distinguished 
* Bull. Soc. Nat. d’Acclim. 4 Ser. tome i. pp. 627—635. 
