116 WILD GEESE. 



of tihie Wei Ho, the river on which is situated the capital of Sheiisi. 

 During my stay in those parts my larder never lacked game. Wild 

 ducks, also, were particularly plentiful, while bustards and cranes were 

 to be found in large flocks. I have seen photographs of enormous bags 

 made in this district, in fact one might look upon the country surround- 

 ing Si-an Fu as a sportsman's paradise. Immediately south of this 

 plain there stretches a range of precipitous mountains. At one extrem- 

 ity of this range is the famous Hua Shan, and at the other the mighty 

 Tai-pei Shan, which rises to a height of 12,000 ft. Along these moun- 

 tains can be found the serow (a species of goat-like antelope), the takin, 

 the wild boar, the stag, the roedeer and the goral, to say nothing 

 of smaller game. 



A collector friend, writing to me from this district, said that they 

 had in their larder at tlhe time of writing the following kinds of game :— 

 goat-ox, goat-antelope, venison, wild boar, goose, duck, pheasant 

 and hare. 



Before closing this paper, I must just mention the swan, three 

 species of which have been recorded in China. The first, and com- 

 monest is the whisthng swan (Cygnus musicus). This is a magnificent 

 bird, which may be seen in small flocks from time to time. A few 

 Europeans have been fortunate enough to seciu-e one, but it falls to 

 tlie lot of most sportsmen only to view them from a distance. In 

 the winter of 1912-13 swans of this species occurred in enormous 

 numbers in certain districts in Southern Anhui. Here they might be 

 seen, literally in thousands upon certain flooded areas, but they proved 

 absolutely unapproachable, only one European being fortunate enough 

 to secure one with a rifle shot. 



The second species is C. janhoivskii, and is considerably smaller 

 than the foregoing. The plumage is pure white, while the base of the 

 beak is of a pale yellow, not orange-yellow as in C. vviisicuii. It occurs 

 very plentifully. 



The other species (C. olor) has been recorded only twice, once in 

 Korth China and once on the Yang-tze. 



