PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 207 



of labour has not been bestowed. Streams of water 

 are not very abundant, and it is highly interesting to 

 notice the manner in which the inhabitants have turn- 

 ed those which they possess to the greatest advantage, 

 by conducting them in troughs from place to place, 

 and at last allowing them to overflow flat places near 

 the beach, for the purpose of raising rice and taro, 

 which require a soil constantly wet. 



The principal animals which we saw at Loo Choo 

 were bullocks, horses, asses, goats, pigs, and cats ; all 

 of very diminutive size : a bullock which was brought 

 to us weighed only 100 lbs. without the ofl^al, and the 

 horses were so low that a tall person had difficulty in 

 keeping his feet off' the ground; yet these animals 

 must be esteemed m Japan, as they are said to have 

 formed part of the tribute to that place. The poultry 

 are also small : we heard dogs, but never saw any. 

 Klaproth, p. 187, asserts there are bears, wolves, and 

 jackals, A venomous snake is also said to exist in 

 the interior. But the only other animals we saw were 

 mice, lizards, and frogs ; the latter somewhat diff'erent 

 to those of our own country. 



The insects are grasshoppers, dragon-flies, butter- 

 flies, honey-bees, wasps, moskitos of a large size, spi- 

 ders, and a mantis, probably peculiar to the island. 



There appeared to be very few birds, and of these 

 we could procure no specimens, in consequence of the 

 great objection on the part of the natives to our firing 

 at them, arising probably from their belief in transub- 

 stantiation. Those which we observed at a distance re- 

 sembled larks, martins, wood-pigeons, beach plovers, 

 tringas, herons, and tern. An-yah said there were no 

 partridges in the island. 



Fish are more abundant though not large, except- 



