SHOVELLER DUCK ON THE WHANGPOO: Mr. H. Brian Bates, who is well known amongst shooting men of this district, reports that he shot three shoveller ducks and a Mandarin teal on the Whangpoo on March 20 between the Settlement and Woosung. We give this report because shovellers are far from common in these parts, and their occurrence here may be of interest to some of our sporting readers.

POOR SNIPE SHOOTING THIS YEAR: Owing, presumably, to the excessively dry weather so far experienced this season snipe shooting, we have been informed by parties who have been upcountry, has been very poor. Unless a decided change takes place and we get plenty of rain during the next few weeks, it may safely be predicted that the Spring Snipe shooting this year will also be a failure.

FISHING

NO SALMON IN CHINA PROPER: In a letter received recently a correspondent refers to a statement regarding the legend of Lung Men, the deep defile in the mountains south of Loyang (Ho-nan Fu) in Honan, famous for its cave temples and colossal stone figures. This says that, according to old legends, when the salmon ascend the stream in the third moon of each year, any that succeed in passing through the precipitous rapids at this point become transformed into dragons.

Our correspondent asks us if there are, or ever have been, any salmon in China. Our answer is that so far no salmon or related species has been found in the waters of China Proper, except the Plecoglossus altivelis, which ascends the small mountain streams only in coastal regions, and a species of trout occurring in the streams in the Tung Ling area of North-eastern Chihli. Various members of the carp family, however, ascend streams and rivers to breed, and it is evidently these to which the legend refers.

The fish depicted in Chinese paintings and on porcelain ware seen trying to jump into the air and so turn into a dragon is invariably a common carp which occurs all over China and is greatly esteemed by the Chinese as a food fish.

We have caught specimens of this species in the act of ascending streams from big rivers, presumably to breed. It is probable that it was the reference to the ascending of the rapids by this fish that led to its being called a salmon, since this is so well known and characteristic a habit of this group of fishes.

As regards the occurrence of salmon in China in the past, we believe there is no evidence of this.

Several species of Pacific salmon of the genus Oncorhynchus ascend the rivers of Manchuria that flow into the sea to the east of the Korean Peninsula, but none of these has ever been taken in the rivers of that country flowing into the Liao-tung Gulf.