ged in two rows. A small four-legged
square table stands between every two chairs, a larger table in the
centre, and at the end an enormous sofa, big enough for six or eight
people to lie full length across. The sofa and all the chairs have
marble seats and backs, and the tops of the tables are also made of
marble, or a sort of soapstone, on which may be distinguished natural
landscapes slightly assisted by art.

In the bird market I saw numbers of little birds for sale, for the
Chinese are very fond of pets, and often take their birds out in a
cage with them when they go for a walk, just as we should be
accompanied by a dog. They manage to tame them thoroughly, and when
they meet a friend they will put the cage down, let the bird out, and
give him something to eat while they have their chat. I saw this done
several times.

Our road next led us through part of the butchers' quarter, where rats
were hung up by their tails, and what looked very like skinned cats
and dogs dangled beside them. Whole cages full of these animals were
exposed for sale alive. Some travellers deny that the Chinese eat cats
and dogs and rats, but there can be no question that they do so,
though they may be the food only of the lower classes. Nor do 'puppy
dogs' appear on the tables of the rich, except on one particular day
in the year, when to eat them is supposed to bring good luck. We
passed a restaurant where I was shown the bill of fare in Chinese of
which this is a translation:--

BILL OF FARE FOR THE DAY.

One tael of black dog's flesh eight cash.
One tael weight of black dog's fat three kandareems of silver.
One large basin of black cat's flesh one hundred cash.
One small basin of black cat's flesh fifty cash.
One large bottle of common wine thirty-two cash.
One small bottle of common wine sixteen cash.
One large bottle of dark rice wine sixty-eight cash.
One small basin of cat's flesh thirty-four cash.
One large bottle of plum wine sixty-eight cash.
One small bottle of plum wine thirty-four cash.
One large basin of dog's flesh sixty-eight cash.
One small bottle of pear wine thirty-four cash.
One large bottle of timtsin wine ninety-six cash.
One small bottle of timtsin wine forty-eight cash.
One basin of congee three cash.
One small plate of pickles three cash.
One small saucer of ketchup or vinegar three cash.