Chungking, June 25.
A "flying zoo" will shortly leave Chengtu for Hongkong in the shape of a specially chartered Douglas airliner containing five adult giant pandas, a specimen of the rare goat-antelope family, one pair of blue mountain sheep, and 30 to 40 live pheasants of rare varieties.
AN the animals were collected in west Szechuen province on belial of the British Museum by Mr. Floyd Smith, its experienced collector, who has travelled widely in East Asia and is well known throughout China.
From Hongkong the rare birds and beasts will travel by sea to London, where the London Zoo will take most of them. A few, however, will probably go to Paris to the Vin-connes zoo.
"Giant pandas are not so uncommon as formerly supposed" Mr. Smith told Reuter on his arrival in Chungking en route to Hankow, whither he is going to arrange facilities for the exportation of his captures.
"But it is only just now that we have become familiar with the environment, conditions and life of these animals, enabling us to be certain to discover them."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.