246 KOIIEA. 



native used to steal off after dark and beg for biscuit, 

 a little cloth, and as much rum as possible. In 

 exchange for cloth, he gave me half a-dozen books, one 

 of which, being a history of Korea, is of interest, but 

 unfortunately I only got a single volume. Their mode 

 of burial is more like the Chinese system than the 

 Japanese, their graves being anywhere about the hill- 

 sides, and usually detached. I came to the conclusion, 

 from the scarcity of the graves, that it was only the 

 most wealthy whose burial-places were marked by a green 

 mound, and sometimes a few fir-trees planted round. 



The great rarity of animal life is most remarkable, 

 but is probably owing to there being very little cover 

 or shelter on the islands for birds or beasts. Seals 

 were very plentiful, and otters almost equally so. Eats 

 alone appeared to flourish on shore. What they live 

 on I never could determine. On every rock and 

 island, equally on the uninhabited as on the others, 

 these creatures abounded. My dogs used to go 

 perfectly wild with excitement on lauding, and of those 

 they killed, half at least were piebald. Although the 

 people were abominably dirty, I never saw one with 

 any of the commonest skin diseases. Considering that 

 their immediate neighbours, the Chinese and Japanese, 

 are so subject to cutaneous ailments, the fact that none 



