22 EAMBLES OF A NATUEALIST. [On. H. 



companied by an elderly attendant, to see that the sight 

 seemed to attract as much attention from the Chinese popu- 

 lation as it did from myself. Around every shop door were 

 clustered curious groups, who watched the fair hoofed lady 

 untU she was almost out of sight, though I imagine their 

 curiosity was chiefly excited by the imusual appearance of a 

 lady so evidently superior, walking in the streets. Still 

 there was much that was curious, and could not fail to in- 

 terest me ; and in order to observe them more at home, and 

 free from foreign interruption, I bent my steps into the 

 purely Chinese quarter, where I soon made the discovery, 

 however, that squalor and dirt and crime were also here at 

 home. How I suffered for my temerity I will recoimt iu 

 another place ; suffice it to say that here I learned a lesson 

 I did not forget as long as I remained among the Chinese 

 people. 



After a fortnight spent ia Hong Kong, I joined her Ma- 

 jesty's despatch boat " Serpent," Commander Bullock, who 

 most kindly shared his owQ accommodation with me. The 

 destination of the " Serpent " was the Formosa Channel, 

 with a probability of visiting some of the ports of the island 

 of Formosa, the coast of Chiaa, and Shanghai — a hope that 

 was fuUy realised by the event ; while the various delays, and 

 the devious course rendered necessary by survejdng opera- 

 tions, gave me much and desirable opportunity of prosecut- 

 ing my observations. We quitted Hong Kong on the 24th 

 April, steering first south for the Pratas Island, which we 

 reached on the 28th. 



Pratas Island is situated in lat. 20° 42' N., and long. 116° 

 43' E., and is of a horse-shoe shape, occupying the centre 

 of the sunken or western part of the great Pratas reef. The 

 reef itself is of a crescentic form, extending 13 mUes to the 



