[5] Probably no man could now say what this means.  But the following note
    from Mr. Ney Elias is very interesting in its suggestion of analogy: 
    “In my report to the Geographical Society I have noticed the peculiar
    Western appearance of Kwei-hwa-ch’eng, and the little gardens of
    creepers and flowers in pots which are displayed round the porches in
    the court-yards of the better class of houses, and which I have seen
    in no other part of China.  My attention was especially drawn to these
    by your quotation from Rashiduddin.”

[6] A translation of Heins’ was kindly lent me by the author of this
    article, the lamented Mr. J. W. S. Wyllie.

[7] I owe the suggestion of this to a remark in Oppert’s Presbyter
    Johannes, p. 77.

CHAPTER LX.

CONCERNING THE KAAN’S PALACE OF CHAGANNOR.

At the end of those three days you find a city called CHAGAN NOR [which is as much as to say White Pool], at which there is a great Palace of the Grand Kaan’s;[NOTE 1] and he likes much to reside there on account of the Lakes and Rivers in the neighbourhood, which are the haunt of swans[NOTE 2] and of a great variety of other birds.  The adjoining plains too abound with cranes, partridges, pheasants, and other game birds, so that the Emperor takes all the more delight in staying there, in order to go a-hawking with his gerfalcons and other falcons, a sport of which he is very fond.[NOTE 3]

There are five different kinds of cranes found in those tracts, as I shall tell you.  First, there is one which is very big, and all over as black as a crow; the second kind again is all white, and is the biggest of all; its wings are really beautiful, for they are adorned with round eyes like those of a peacock, but of a resplendent golden colour, whilst the head is red and black on a white ground.  The third kind is the same as ours.  The fourth is a small kind, having at the ears beautiful long pendent feathers of red and black.  The fifth kind is grey all over and of great size, with a handsome head, red and black.[NOTE 4]

Near this city there is a valley in which the Emperor has had several little houses erected in which he keeps in mew a huge number of cators which are what we call the Great Partridge.  You would be astonished to see what a quantity there are, with men to take charge of them.  So whenever the Kaan visits the place he is furnished with as many as he wants. [NOTE 5]

NOTE 1.—­[According to the Siu t’ung kien, quoted by Palladius, the palace in Chagannor was built in 1280.—­H.  C.]

NOTE 2.—­“Ou demeurent sesnes.” Sesnes, Cesnes, Cecini, Cesanae, is a mediaeval form of cygnes, cigni, which seems to have escaped the dictionary-makers.  It occurs in the old Italian version of Brunetto Latini’s Tresor, Bk.  V. ch. xxv., as cecino; and for other examples, see Cathay, p. 125.