27 



Dec. 10. Today and yesterday we passed by and through field after field 

 of growing opium, of which much more is being planted than last year. 1 n 1928 

 the Nationalist Government decreed that opium should not be planted any more and 

 that opium smoking should be discontinued within a reasonable time. None of these 

 decrees were enforced in Szechuan. On the contrary, the opium tax was collected 

 from farmers Y/hether they planted opium or not. Those who did not plant the opium 

 poppy had to pay a "Lazy Man f s tax. 11 This year official placards have been posted 

 saying that the charge would be so much a "hole" and the "lazy man's tax" would 

 be collected from those who did not plant. The result is that this year much more 

 opium is being planted than last year, and probably more than ever before. Many 

 of the Chinese estimate that between 40 and 60 % of the population smoke opium. 



Today 1 s journey was not extra hard, but I made several side excursions 

 after specimens, and the result is that I am very tired. I got several birds. I 

 shot a large crane and wounded him, but he escaped. I saw one bird as large as the 

 largest cranes. It had a sharp bill, a light breast, and dark wings and back. I 

 shot at it on the fly, but did not get it. I saw several of these near Yachow 

 last winter, but I have not yet succeeded in killing one. 



Dec. 11. I went out for a short hunt with a Chinese who is noted as a 

 crack shot. He deserves his reputation. If I had two weeks to spare to go hunt- 

 ing with him j it is certain that we could get a good catch of mammals. He has 

 promised to send me some, such as the porcupine, the fox, the wild boar, etc. We 

 killed seven common birds. H e used my shotgun twice, and got the birds both times. 

 The Chinese at Gioh Chi and here are very friendly, and I have a number of old 

 friends in both places. 



We are unable to hire a boat to Suifu at a reasonable price, so we will 

 go overland to the Min River and catch some boat going down the river to Suifu. 



Dec. 12. There was only one boat at Gin Ban, and the captain asked too 



