as a rule these shrewd and graceful creatures are looked upon as foretokens of misfortune.

Chinese philosophers say that in the heart of a fox there is an exquisitely bright gem, smooth, and of a whitish colour, resembling a pearl, which is supposed to impart to this animal its extraordinary powers. In most parts of the north of China the fox is regarded as an animal of good presage. In the winter time, if the footmarks of a fox are seen leading across a frozen river or lake, people cross without hesitation. They say that when the animal is crossing frozen water he does so slowly and cautiously, from time to time putting his head down close to the ice and listening for the sound of the water beneath, thus estimating its thickness and stability.

In the celebrated commentary to the "Spring and Autumn" of Confucius we are told that as the fox grows older he becomes wiser, and more cunning; and is able to foresee future events and coming disasters. From year to year, and from century to century,' he inhales and absorbs the more highly impregnated essence of matter, until his mental faculties and divinatory powers become wonderfully clear and supernal. So that at last his mental eyes can see through the darkness of a thousand years, and his bodily eyes penetrate more than a thousand le, seeing and fully understanding the past, as well as the future. He is therefore able to prognosticate his own end and prepare himself for it, thus being blessed with a "correct" or or "perfect" death as the Chinese say. There is always something refined and beautiful about these mythological dissertations of the ancient writers, and the beautiful part about the much-abused fox now comes in. Knowing his end to be drawing nigh, Reynard journeys home to his native place, where his parents lived and died, and, lying down at the foot of a hill, with his fore paws folded and extended, and his face turned heavenward, in this position he calmly and decorously breathes his age-honoured life away.

Fairy foxes, or "Hu-li-jin," play a very prominent part in Chinese mythology and folk-lore, and some very strange stories are told of them, particularly in the celebrated works of Chu Shi, and in a popular collection of tales known as the "Lius-chi-che

yi," published in 1766. The word "Hu-li-na," or female fox, is much used as an epithet, in the same manner as we say "vixen" cr "she-fox," being applied against over-dressed and scandaltalking women.

A well-known Chinese legend relates how once a young gentleman was walking in the country near his home when he noticed that he was being followed at some distance by what appeared to be a young woman. Waiting for her to approach nearer he was pleasantly surprised to find that she was a girl of more than earthly beauty, who also possessed the most elegant feet. He at once fell desperately in love with her, and they soon afterwards married. Strange to say this lovely bride always left her husband's side every morning before dawn, remaining away throughout the day, but returning at sunset. He repeatedly remonstrated with her, and asked her reason for doing this, but she took no notice and always made the excuse that she went home to her mother who was old and required her assistance. After a time the husband began to lose his health, growing weaker and thinner, and at length he died. His beautiful wifewho was in reality a fox-elf-then disappeared. She had gradually educed his strength by her diabolical power, and thus killed him.

The Chinese are taught, and firmly believe, that many thousands of years ago there were no monkeys, and that they came into existence in this manner. There was once a very rich Chinese family whose serving-maid was a young girl, whose mother, being old and blind, depended entirely on her for maintenance. This dutiful daughter used to save what little food and dainties she could and carry them home to her aged parent. Her mistress, one day discovering this, secretly put some filth in the pot of rice which the girl took home with her. On eating some of it, the blind woman became very sick. Crying bitterly, she accused her innocent daughter of baseness and neglect. Whereupon the poor girl wept bitterly and told her mother that she was not to blame, and that it had evidently been done out of spite and to prevent her from using the food; but that in future she would buy their own food out of her scanty earnings.

She did so : and one day an old man came to the house and said that, as the young girl was so duteous to her parent, she should prosper and become rich. As her employer had behaved so wickedly towards her, it was decreed by the gods that the whole of that family should be transformed into monkeys; and she was to place hot fire-irons on the chairs in their sitting-room when preparing their dinner on the morrow.

On going to work next morning the young maid found that, in accordance with the old man's prophecy, the whole of her employer's family were turned into hideous monkeys, which were leaping about all over the house, making a great noise.

Having, in obedience to the wizard's commands, placed the hot irons upon the dining-room chairs, she laid the bowls of rice and vegetable on the table. When seating themselves before it the animals got very burned, and, all rising together, fled away from the house into the mountains, where they remained and multiplied. The fortunate young maid, through her exemplary conduct, was allowed to take possession of the property, and lived with her blind mother in peace and affluence.

Like us, the Chinese have their domestic pets, the lower classes often including a pig among them. Should a dog follow a person or attach himself to a family it is considered highly predictive of wealth and prosperity. But should a cat do so, it is regarded as a most inauspicious omen, portending reverses and poverty, so that such a visitor receives but scant hospitality. However, cats are not generally disliked, and grace the fireside of most families. According to tradition, we are led to believe that, in ages of remote antiquity, dogs and cats were able to speak like human beings, and that their dumbness was brought about by themselves in this manner:-There were two sisters, who lived at some little distance apart. One was rich and the other poor, but the latter possessed a wonderful stone of great value by which all things could be converted into gold. This the rich sister coveted, and at length borrowed. The stone was not returned, however, and the poor sister, after vainly begging for her priceless gem, became very miserable, and quite despaired of ever seeing it again. At last her favourite cat and dog, seeing how distressed she was,

offered to try and recover it for her. She had always been kind and good to them, and they were anxious to show their gratitude by thus assisting her. So the two faithful animals set out together, soon arriving at a river which they had to cross. The dog was able to swim, but the cat could not; so the dog very kindly told the cat to mount on his back, which it did, and he swam across safely with his load. Both scampered off together towards the wicked sister's house, which was enclosed by a high wall. On coming to this, the cat was able to jump over, but the dog could not; therefore, as one good turn deserves another, the cat let his companion get on its back, and sprang over with him. Then, watching their chance, they cautiously entered the house by a back door, and, after much searching, found the right room, and recovering the stone, carried it back in triumph to their mistress, who was quite overjoyed and made much of her two sagacious pets, who at length became jealous of her attentions and quarrelled. Said the dog: "Think how I carried you across the river. What would you have done without me?"

"Ah," replied the cat, "think how I carried you over the wall. Pray what would you have done without me?"

As both questions were alike, unanswerable, they fought, swearing they would never be friends again. They were struck dumb. Hence the dumbness and enmity which has since existed between these animals.

The saliva from a dog's tongue is supposed to contain extraordinary healing properties. A Chinese legend tells how once an emperor was sick nearly unto death with a sore leg, which gave him great pain and discomfort. He consulted the most eminent physicians in the empire, but none could help him, and he grew worse. Now this monarch possessed a very comely daughter, and he at last promised her in marriage to anyone who should heal his leg. His own faithful dog now began to constantly lick the wound, and it soon healed completely. The grateful emperor, according to his promise, rewarded the noble animal with his daughter, and they married. Then he gave them a ship, a large sum of money, and many valuable presents; and they sailed away to the southward, afterwards settling near the city of Kiungchow,

on the island of Hainan, where they lived happily together the rest of their life.

This story is told and actually credited by the people of Hainan, from whom I gleaned it.

One day when I was visiting a Chinese friend of mine, he took me into a room and pointed to a group of small pups.

"There are nine pups there," he said, regarding them with evident satisfaction, "and that one you see lying on the top of the others is a king of dogs. For should any dog have nine pups, which very rarely happens, one of them is a king. If the Emperor knew that I had these I should have to send them up to him, because the king-dog is regarded as valuable. For it always sleeps in the middle and on the top of the other dogs, and has a very precious stone in its inside."

"Does he ever bring the stone out?" I ventured to inquire seriously.

“No, not until he grows old; then he sometimes brings it out and plays with it. But you have to watch the animal very closely to detect the stone, as he always conceals it."

He also told me that, on the day of a king-dog's birth, all the dogs in the neighbourhood come to the front door and stand about in an inquiring, interested manner; and that should any dogs be fighting they will at once desist if a "king dog" comes up, as they all fear it. He also seemed to confidently believe that if any person robbed the animal of its precious stone it would first try to kill the thief and then die itself. I have since heard all this repeated over and over again in different parts of China, with the addition that if a tiger has three cubs, one is a king of tigers, and also has a very valuable stone inside, with which it. sometimes plays when of mature age.

The snake also claims considerable attention in Chinese fables, many of which referring to this reptile and its supposed dominiacal powers, are undoubtedly of Indian origin. Throughout the "Celestial Empire" traces of serpent worship are frequently found, especially at Canton, in the Ching Shi Mo, or Green Serpent Temples, and also at Wuchow-fu, where liberal sacrifices are offered at the magnificent snake shrines, and where a venomous-looking green