Page 130 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

9« CHINESE PORCELAIN.
use of the tail feathers to designate official rank, which
probably causes a large consumption of them annually, does
"
not date previous to the last dynasty (Ming).
Owl.— Doolittle, p. 572: "The voice of the owl is universally
heard with dread, being regarded as the harbinger of death
in the Some that its voice resembles the
neighbourhood. say
voice of a spirit or demon calling to its fellow. Perhaps it is
on account of this notion that they so often assert having
heard the voice of a spirit when they may have heard only
the indistinct hooting of a distant owl. Sometimes the
Chinese say its voice sounds much like an expression of
'
' the the of a common
digging grave. Hence, probably, origin
that when one is about to die, in the
saying, neighbourhood
will be heard the voice of the owl out ' It
calling dig, dig.'
is of as the bird which calls for the soul,
frequently spoken
or which catches or takes away the soul."
Eagles, Falcons, Hawks, etc.— "Middle Kingdom," vol. i.
"
258 The of the were fond
p. : emperors Mongol dynasty very
of the chase, and famous for their love of the noble amusement
of and Marco Polo Kublai no less
falconry, says employed
than seventy thousand attendants in his hawking excursions.
Falcons, kites, and other birds of prey were taught to pursue
their and the Venetian of trained to
quarry, speaks eagles
at wolves, and of such size and that none could
stoop strength
escape their talons."
Davis, vol. i. p. 319 : " Two of the sovereigns of this Tartar
dynasty, Kang-hy and Kien-loong, maintained the hardy and
warlike habits of the Manchows
by frequent hunting expe-
ditions to the northward of the Great Wall. They proceeded
at the head of a little army, by which the game was enclosed
in and thus to the skill of the and his
rings, exposed emperor
We find from Pere Uerbillon's account of his
grandees.
hunting expedition with Kang-hy, that a portion of the train
consisted of falconers, each of whom had the of a
charge single
bird."
—
Parrot. "Middle Kingdom," vol. i. p. 261: "The parrot
is a native of China, but the birds of this tribe, sold in the
streets of Canton as macaws, cockatoos, loris, and
parrokeets,
are from the
mostly brought Archipelago."
In the of in which stood
province Keang-se, King-te-chin,