ZOOLOGICAL 
SOCIETY BULLETIN 
Number 41 
Published by the New York Zoological Society 
September, 1910 
THE 
AST year, Hon. Mason Mitchell, American 
Consul at Chung King, China, and now sta- 
tioned at Apia, Samoa, presented to the 
Zoological Society, for the National Collection 
of Heads and Horns, the entire skin, skull and 
horns of the very rare and little known Takin 
which inhabits southwestern China. The speci- 
men proved to represent the Chinese Takin, 
(Budorcas tibetanus, Lydekker), of which there 
are probably fewer than half a dozen specimens 
available for study. 
For several months, the founders of the Na- 
tional Collection were in doubt regarding their 
duty to science respecting the zoological rarity 
so unexpectedly placed in their possession. To 
CHINESE 
TAKIN. 
mount a specimen entire and place it in the Col- 
lection, seemed like establishing an embarrass- 
ing precedent; but on the other hand, it seemed 
impossible to do otherwise. At last it 
agreed that “the promotion of zoology’ demand- 
ed the utilization of the entire animal. The 
specimen was placed in the hands of Mr. Wilson 
Potter, of Philadelphia, and forthwith he and 
his taxidermists began a careful study of the 
Takins. 
The finished specimen reached the Collection 
last week, and the work bestowed upon it re- 
flects great credit upon Mr. Potter. Judging 
from photographs of the living Takin in the 
London Zoo, the form of the animal has been 
was 
CHINESE TAKIN. 
