882 
^^-OREST AND STREAM. 
JNov. 17, 190a 
China, the World's Last Great 
Game Pr«;serve. 
The opening tip of China which seems Ukely to follow 
the present occupation of Peking by the allied forces will 
probably wipe out the last great game preserve m the 
world. It will be surprising to many to iearn that not- 
withstanding the enormous population of China and_ the 
early invention and use of firearms in that country it is 
to-day the best stocked with game of any country in the 
world. In the plam about Peking, where the vidages are 
so thick that the population exceeds 2,000 to the sq:uare 
mile, wolves, raccoons foxes and weasels are so thick as 
to be pests. The wolves particularly are so numerous and 
fearless that no winter passes without a great many lives 
being lost. All Chinese villages are surrounded by mud 
walls for protection from bandits and prowling animals, 
and it is customary to paint large white rings on these 
mud walls in order to frighten the wolves away. The 
Chinese explain that the wolves either take the rings to 
be traps, which they avoid, or else to be the rising sun, 
which causes them to slink back to their lairs. During 
the summer the Chinese villagers are too much engaged in 
gathering their crops to attempt much in the line of 
exterminating the pests. But wolf hunts are quite com- 
mon in the winters. The villagers beat out the fields and 
drive the wolves into pits or caves, where they are dis- 
patched with swords and pikes. It is a common thing 
in all parts of China, even the most thickly populated, to 
see wolves trotting along the roads or crossing from 
cover to cover. 
The Chinese shotgun or gingal has never reached a 
high enough development to be of much service in 
banting. The barrels are cast, and many of the cheaper 
ones look as if made of pot metal. They are mounted 
on stocks that look like exaggerated pistol handles. But 
the Chinese have never invented anything like the per- 
cussion cap. Their guns have no triggers or hammers; 
instead there is at the base of the barrel a small vent and 
flash pan. Over the stock is a holder shaped like our 
hammers, made of soft steel and split so as to hold be- 
tween the two fingers a piece of lighted incense or punk. 
In order to use this weapon, the Chinaman must fill the 
flash pan witn fresh powder, blow the ashes off his pimk, 
take aim and then with his thumb push the holder for- 
ward until the lighted end of the punk touches the powder 
in the flash pan. So uncertain is the weapon that the 
Chinese rarely use it, except in pot-hunting for rice- 
birds, blackbirds and that class of game. 
The reason that foxes are so numerous is that the 
Chinese, who believe in the transmigration of souls, think 
that human spirits prefer to go into foxes rather than into 
any other animal. Consequently they never kill foxes for 
fear they may be injuring some departed spirit. 
Most of the Chinese hunting is done with traps. The 
moors and plains abound in partridge, grouse and rab- 
bits, and the Chinese take immense quantities of them by 
means of nets and runnig nooses. For larger game they 
resort to pits and deadfalls. 
It is not generally known that the mountains of north 
China abound in bears, both black and brown, and that 
leopards and tigers are by no means uncommon. The 
so-called Siberian tiger, which is the most magnificent 
specimen of the cat family, far surpassing even the royal 
tiger of India, is really a native of the mountain ranges 
that lie between -the plains of Mongolia and Manchuria 
and the plains about Peking, where the allies are now 
operating. In early days the hunting of leopards and 
tigers was a feature of the royal hunt, which sport reached 
its greatest popularity in the reign of the Mongol dynasty 
during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Ming 
dynasty which followed them also found many devotees 
of the chase, but they confined their hunting to the 
less dangerous pursuit of the deer, and established the 
m.agnificent deer parks which are now to be found near 
Peking. The famous decoration of the Peacock Feather, 
which has been the subject of so many international 
jokes in connection with Li Hung Chang's yellow jacket, 
was originally awarded to those membea; of the royal 
suite who succeeded in killing a stag. The early em- 
perors of the present Manchu dynasty were also great 
sportsmen, but for the last forty years the throne has 
been occupied by minors, and the manly pastime has 
fallen into disuse. 
The northern deer park lies in the mountains about 
fifteen miles northwest from Peking, and incloses one of 
the most magnificent preserves to be found in the world. 
It takes in the spur of the mountains and the valleys on 
either side. The whole is surrounded by a heavy brick 
wall, about 3 feet thick and from 12 to 15 feet high. The 
interior of the park which contains one of the largest 
herds to be found in the world, is traversed by paved 
roads and paths, winding up the mountain side, past 
springs and waterfalls to the most picturesque hunting 
lodges. The buildings are now largely falling into deca^, 
but they still show traces of their former magnificence. 
The walls too are falling down in places, and it is be- 
coming quite common to find on the mountains outside 
of the park deer which undoubtedly have escaped from 
the royal herd within. The deer in this north park are of 
a giant red variety, magnificent antlered animals, re- 
sembling our Am.erica waniti. btit peculiar in hav'ne: a 
somewhat lone tail, which carries a brush. The southern 
deer nank. which lies in the plains south of th? Chinese 
canital rovers an area of about 100 square miles, and is 
remarkable for a breed of deer unlike anvthing known 
anvwhere el=e in the world. It seems to be a k'ud of 
elk, b"t is without horns or has onlv the merest knobs 
or rudiments. The Chinese commonlv c^ill it the mule, 
deer and it is h'kejv that thi'i name indicates a hvbrid 
orifin. Thpv call it the szu-puh-Fiangr. which indicates 
that it is neither nf the four useful animals — hor«e, deer 
camfl and nx. This d^er is a verv larsre pnim.al nf a fawn 
or Htrht <Trnv mlor. and with a r>eculiar mild croakin? tone 
to it<: vil} which seems curiously out of place in so large 
an ''ritmpl. 
T^a grrpat vanetv n-f crqrne and its' shi'ndanre i<: mt 
nprniiar tn anv v^rt of Chnia. but ex<-pnd= frnm thf n^-i'-"- 
of Mongolia to the tropical ranees along the coast of the 
south, and nowhere else in the world is there such a 
variety of climate and country. There are mountain 
ranges across tbe north, the soutn and the central part of 
the country, gradually increasing in height from tiie coast 
toward the interior, dividing tne country into tlie great 
valleys of the Yellow, the Yang-tse and West rivers, with 
intervals of plateaus and bottoms, lakes and plains, and 
beyond them" all the wilds of Manchuria and the deserts 
and salt lakes of Gobi, r 1 , 
The Mongolian plains are peculiar for a species of wild 
chicken wnich is undoubtedly the progenitor of our 
present domestic fowl. It is a large bird with brilliant 
colored comb, and having the brownish yellow coloring 
and red and black mark.ngs on neck and tail that were 
peculiar, to our early barnyard fowl. The chicken is a 
good game fowl and a strong flyer. It is most excellent 
eating, and is taken by the Mongolians in large quantities 
and brought down to the Peking market. 
The game market of Peking is probably one of the 
best to be found in the world. Owing to the steady climate 
which prevails in north China after the winter has once 
set in, It is quite a simple matter to preserve the game 
for almost any length of time, and the Mongol camel 
trains come into Peking with deer and grouse, wild 
boars and partridges, bears and Vv'ild chickens, antelope 
and duck, wild sheep and goats, and, what is considered 
by the Chinese one of the greatest delicacies, the wild ass 
or onager, which is highly prized because it is so hard to 
capture. They also bring in immense quantities of furs — 
sable, marten, weasel and stoat, and great quantities of 
squirrels, whose skins are used for lining the immense 
fur robes that are common among all of the better classes. 
Probably the most common game bird of China is the 
pheasant, which ranges over the whole empire from the 
Amur River south to Canton, and from the east coast to 
the mountains of Szuchuan. The common varieties with 
the gold and silver pheasants are well known, but Szuch- 
wan is the home of two varieties not so commonly known 
—the snow pheasant, which is pure white, with small red 
wattles and comb, and the Pallas, which is remarkably 
brilliantly colored; it is called by the Chinese the hoki, or 
fire hen. 
The southern provinces are remarkable for a species 
of monkey which has the most wonderful coloring to 
be found on a fur-bearing animal. It is large, the adult 
standing from 3 to 4 feet high. The face is orange, sur- 
rounded by tufts or yellowish hair, with a dark band 
across the forehead. The body and the upper part of 
the forearms are a light brown with longer hairs of gray 
interspersed. The lower parts of the arms are pure 
white, while the hands and thighs are a most intense 
black. The tail and a large triangular spot over it are 
also white, while the legs are a brilliant red. A more 
grotesque and striking animal cannot be found, and it 
matches well in its varigated colors the gold fish and 
Mandarin ducks which are also peculiar to China. China 
is also remarkable for being the home of the most northern 
species of m.onkey known; these live in the mountains 
north about Peking in a latitude from 40 to 45 degrees 
liorth. Its hair is thick and of a light brownish color. 
The face is greenish, but turns white if the animal is 
kept long in captivity. They enjoy playing in the snow 
and apparently suffer none from cold. They are easily 
tamed and remarkably intelligent, but as they grow to 
such large size, reaching nearly 4 feet in height, they 
soon bskcome too large to make good pets. Szuchuan also 
has a species of ape which lives in the higher mountains. 
It is heavily mansd to protect it from the cold,_ and has 
strong, brawny arms. It is called by the Chinese the 
run-hiung, or the man -bear, which name they ha.ve given 
because of its human form and the fact that it hibernates 
like a bear. It is said to be good eating, and is con- 
sidered a great delicacy by tihe Chinese. 
Many parts of China are infested by herds of wild dogs, 
which are hunted mainly for their fur. The dog skins of 
Newchwang are a recognized brand in the market. They 
have long, fine black hair with curled bushy tails, with 
black or sometimes pale yellow bellies. They are prob- 
ably the original species from which the modern Esqui- 
maux dog has sprtmg. There are a great many varieties 
of wild sheep and wild goats, which are killed for their 
skins, and the dressed carcasses are taken to the game 
markets of the north. The domesticated sheep of China 
are peculiar for their broad tails, which are attached to 
the body all the way across the rump and measure about 
10 inches long and about 4 inches thick. The tail is a 
solid mass of tallow, over which the sheep has no control 
, except to give it a slight wiggle. The sheep are white 
with black heads, and make most excellent mutton. 
China also contains many varieties of pigeons and 
doves. The country about nearly all of the great cities 
is full of them. The natives are very fond of them for 
food, and the eggs and blood of pigeons are regarded as 
preventive of smallpox. The Chinese are great pigeon 
fanciers, and one of their great sports is _the_ stealing of 
pigeons from one another's cotes. This is done by 
fastening whistles on the tails of their own pigeons for 
tlie purpose of attracting the pigeons from other flocks, 
and thus bringing them, back to their own cotes when- 
wearied with flying. The air of the cities is full of the soft 
.(Eolian notes of these pigeon whistles. 
As there is so much marsh and swampy country in 
China, it is natural that it should be a great country for 
snipe and plover. These are trapped by a preparation 
of quicklime spread along the shores, into which the birds 
run and ■^iick fast. "China, of course, is known as the 
greatest duck country in the world. There are prob- 
ably more domesticated ducks used in China than in all 
the world beside. And with her enormous system of 
rivers and lakes, it is natural that geese, swans, mallards, . 
teal and Mandarin ducks should abound in great quan- 
tit-es. These are som,etimes Idlled from traps with the 
old Chinese muskets, but in some parts the natives flood 
their rice fields and then with empty gourds over their 
heads wade out into the fields among the ducks, catching 
them by the feet and nulling them under. 
The great sport of falconry, which once numbered 
among its devotees all the courtiers of Europe, now sur- 
vives alone in China. The emperors of the Mongol 
dvn.istv were famous for their love of falconrv. and it is 
•Old that thev emnloved no Ipss than 71^000 attendants in 
their haivk'ng pxcursions. The love of the sport survives 
to this d^v. Falcons, hawks and eagle= are all tatiffht to 
pursue their auarrv and one of the sights of Peking tfv , 
day is the great falcon market in the southern cky, just J 
outside the great Chien Mun, or Meridian Gate, of the 
Tartar city. Here thousands of hooded birds are ex- 
posed for sale, on great racks. In Mongolia the golden 
eagle itself is still trained for the chabC, and is quite 
commonly used in hunting deer. 
The ichthyology of China is rich. The streams, lakes 
and rivers abound with fish of all kinds, and even the sea 
along the coast is particularly rich in choice varieties. It 
is probable that fish forms the greatest single article of 
diet except rice, and one of the great peculiarities of the 
fisli markets is that fresh fish are nearly always sold 
alive. You go to the markets and find shallow tubs and 
tanks full of wriggling fish, from which you select the 
one you desire. It is delivered to you alive, and no 
household is complete without the great crockery barrel 
or kang in which the fish are kept alive until they are 
ready to be cooked, 
China is still an undiscovered land to our great army of 
sportsmen, but with the settlement of the present dis- 
turbance tho.se who still hope to enjoy the danger; of 
bagging large game will find almost their last opportun ties 
there, while those who are looking for big bag,-; of le st-r 
game will find in the moors and mountains and streams 
and lakes of China richer rewards for the sportsman s 
quest than can be found anywhere else in the world. 
Guy Morrison Walkek 
Luck in Moose Hunting. 
I HAD the pleastire last year of writing an article fo? 
Forest and Stream on the moose country of Maine, 
My camping place was on Nesowadnehunk Lake, which 
is about the center of the best moose hunting district of 
the State. This year I arrived at the same camp (named 
Camp Pha;nix by its proprietors. Hall & McLain) on 
Oct. 15, the opening day of the moose season. 1 remained 
in camp for fifteen days, and hunted nearly every day 
faithfully and persistently for the big bull moose which 
still eludes me, bttt which I think awaits me yet upon 
one of the hardwood ridges about Nesowadnehunk Lake, 
and I hope to try again for him next year. 
The present history includes some consideration.- of the 
matter of luck in moose hunting. But before beginning 
the story, let me premise with a short description of the 
method of moose hunting during October. By Oct. 15 the 
rutting season is so well advanced that no reliance can 
be placed upon calling moose with the birch bark horn.' 
Even at an earlier season I fancy this method of finding 
the game in Maine would not prove particularly suc- 
cessful, for the reason that the cows are in majority and 
there is now no such fierce rivalry upon the part of the bull- 
for the protectorship of the cows as one time there was. 
The laws of Maine for a number of years have protected 
cow moose and spike-horn bulls, allowing each hunter 
to shoot only one bull of mature growth. In consequence, 
if my observation goes for anything, there are at least 
two and possibly three cows for every bull moose left 
in the woods of Maine. But even if under other con- 
ditions moose calling were profitable, I do not think this 
method of hunting the splendid game should be indulged 
in, fascinating in the extreme though it be. It has for 
its foundation the perpetration of a fraud; it is .con- 
ceived in deceit, and is executed in unfairness, for when 
successfully adopted it too often brings the game within 
rifle range too close for true sportsmanship. 
On the other hand, none of these objections can be 
raised against still-hunting. The hunter must fairly match 
his wits against the keen senses of the game; he must 
be possessed with perseverance which knows no fatigue, 
and all of his knowledge of woodcraft must be availed of. 
Yet in lieu of all these qualities, he may simply be 
endowed with phenomenal luck and still get his bid) 
moose. Last year I saw a number of moose around the 
water during October. This year, whether the season 
was earlier or whatever the reason, they had abandoned 
their lake and water ranging for the seclusion of tho 
hardwood ridges of the forests. No tracking snow is apt 
to fall and lie during October, and the sportsman is re- 
duced to still-hunting without snow to find his game. 
With the ground thickly strewn with beach leave.-- and 
tender crackling branches, this is a very noisy style of 
sitll-hunting, but it certainly is true sport, for every fair 
advantage remains with the hunted game. 
Twelve times this year I left camp at daybneak and 
paddled to some point on the shore where our daily tramps 
began for the secluded haunts of moose. Our average 
walking time was seven or eight hours a day. My guide 
was Will McLain. an agreeable companion, a thorough 
woodsman whose knowledge of this section of Maine i^, 
supreme; an enthusiastic sportsman himself, and certainly 
one of the best still-hunters in Maine. Yet day after 
day I hunted without firing a shot. We ran across deer 
every day, but I would not shoot them, for I was after 
bigger game. We successfully still-hunted under the 
difficult existing circumstances nine moose in all. That 
i-s to say, we tracked and found or ran across by chance 
nine moose in the woods, all of which I believe I might 
have shot had I tried, with the possible exception of two. 
AH of the nine moose we saw were cows, excepting 
one, which was a small spike-horn bull. On more than 
one occasion we approached within 40 yards of the 
cows. 
But here is where the element of luck entered, as I shall 
try and tell. On two distinct occasions, when hunting of 
course with due attention to the direction of the wind, we 
came upon two cows. Both times the bull was just beyond 
in the thickets, and when the cows made off they carried 
the bulls along Avith them. Now had we approached at a 
slightly different angle, had we skirted the ridge instead 
of going straight over it. on each occasion we would 
.itill have been to leeward and we would have come i^pon 
the bull before scaring the cows. One day, after the 
bull and his two cows took alarm and struck off at their 
rapid trotting gait, we trailed them past and within 10 feet 
of a spot we called our lunching place. At a certain 
location by the s^'de of a spring a few davs before we 
had made a comfortable seat of bal«am boughs on a 
huge log. Twice had we lunched at this spot. On that 
particular day we had intended to lunch there and at 
our very lunch hour these three moose, one a bie bull, 
judn'T^? solely bv the shape and of his track=- for 
we did not get sight of him, passed within 10 feet of our 
luxurious resting place. 
Another day we were foljowiin^ the trail of a bull ai^d 
