TAKIN, At the latter end of last year we Mason Mitchell, appears that Mr. Mitchell also very rare specimen of the cat tribe and sent the skins of both animals to Mr. Rowland Ward, the celebrated English naturalist. A. letter referring to these trophies appeared in "The Field" on May 11, and Mr. Mitchell received teresting letter from Mr.
These two letters wore as Mason Mircusu, Esq., Dean Sir—I have no doubt you will be pleased to notice the enclosed cuttfog relating to the very interesting Takin you so kindly sent me, and which has been named in honour of you Badorcas taxicolor Mitchell In course of a short time, it will be on exhibition permanently in our National collection at South Kensington and I feel sure will interest some of your friends when they visit the Having had many of the ordinary specimens through may hands, it strack me at once when yours arrived that it may represent anew form and I venture to hope it will give yon much pleasure, The cat skin was Felis Seri (Milne Edw: and the other race so it becomes Felis temmincki Mitchelli, Both these specimens I have also given to the British Museam, as one becomes the type of 8 new race as above., With kind regards, (Sgd.) Rowuaxo Warn. a only TAKIN.
Till quite recently, at any rate, the takin has been one of the few species big game ruminants that have not fallen to the rifle of the white sportsman, Mr. Mason Mitchell of the American Consular Service and 2 Correspondent of Mr. Rowland Ward, claims, however, to have shot several specimens of the Chinese representative of this animal in the province of Szechuan, and in proof has sent home the complete skull and skin of an adult female. This skin differs from any takin that has hitherto come under my notice in that the long hair of the upper parts is uniformly light grey, with the exception of a large black area on the front of the face and of dark dorsal streak. In this respect it presents marked contrast to the bulls of the Tibetan race of the takin Badorcas taxicolor Tibetana (from which the Chinese B.t. Sinensis appears inseparable), these having all the forequarters, bright golden yellow, passing I am told, into rayons on the shoulders of old animals. The grey, and dorsal stripe are black, The late Professor Milne Edwards, who named the Tibetan race, stated that the females are paler and greyer than the males and the nataral presumption accordingly is that the skin received by Mr. Ward represents the cow of that race. The sender of specimen states, however, th there are two distinct kinds of takin Szechuan, which differ not only in colour, bat in size and habits, the smaller red kind going about in small herds, while the larger grey one is solitary, or associates only in pairs. If this idea be well-founded the grey race may be named Budorcas taxicolor Mitchelli, in honour of the sender of the female skin, which Mr. Ward has promised to present to the British Museum. The animal was killed in the mountains near Tachienlu, According to Mr. Mason Mitchell, the Chinese have separate names for the two presumed kinds of takin, calling the large grey one taun-yea (big wild ox) and the ler yellow Ward appears to indicate a larger animal than the meanted yellow male from Szechuan in the British Maseum. The grey kind, in which the short, shabby tail is wholly black, horns more bowed. it the same country they ought perhaps to be regarded as species rather than races.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.