EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXVII, 



Korean Guidepost. 



GuiDEPOST. Rude log of wood with grotesquely carved human face. When com- 

 plete it is crowned with a hat, has large ears, and thin strips along either 

 side to represent clothing. These posts are placed along the road at in- 

 tervals of half a mile. Complete specimens are about 6 feet high, are 

 painted, and bear on the front an inscription showing the distances. It is 

 believed that the signpost is also a shamanistic idol to the spirits of the 



place. 



(From a sketch from nature by P. L. Jouy.) 



