ardly believe it possible when we saw dozens of coats made from
their skins hanging in the fur shops.

Skins of the huge red-brown flying squirrel, _Petaruista yunnanensis_, were
also used for clothing and the abundance of this animal was almost as great
a surprise as the finding of the pandas. This is often true in the case of
supposedly rare species. A few specimens may be obtained from the extreme
limits of its range, or from a locality where it really is rare, and for
years it may be almost unique in museum collections but eventually the
proper locality may be visited and the animals found to be abundant.

We saw several skins of the beautiful cat (_Felis temmicki_) which, with
the snow leopard (_Felis uncia_), it was said came from Tibet. Civets,
bears, foxes, and small cats were being used extensively for furs and
pangolins could be purchased in the medicine shops. The scales of the
pangolin are considered to be of great value in the treatment of certain
diseases and the skins are usually sold by the pound as are the horns of
deer, wapiti, gorals, and serows.

Almost all of the fossil animals which have been obtained in China by
foreigners have been purchased in apothecary shops. If a Chinaman discovers
a fossil bed he guards it zealously for it represents an actual gold mine
to him. The bones are ground into a fine powder, mixed with an acid, and a
phosphate obtained which in reality has a certain value as a tonic. When a
considerable amount of faith and Chinese superstition is added its efficacy
assumes double proportions.

Every year a few tiger skins find their way to Hsia-kuan from the southern
part of the province along the Tonking border, but the good ones are
quickly sold at prices varying from twenty-five to fifty dollars (Mexican).
Ten dollars is the usual price for leopard skins.

Marco Polo visited Ta-li Fu in the thirteenth century and, among other
things, he speaks of the fine horses from this part of the province. We
were surprised to find that the animals are considerably larger and more
heavily built than those of Yuen-nan Fu and appear to be better in every
way. A good riding horse can be purchased for seventy-five dollars
(Mexican) but mules are worth about one hundred and fifty dollars because
they are considered better pack animals.

On the advice of men who had traveled much in the interior of Yuen-nan we
hired our caravan and riding animals instead of buying them outright, and
subsequen