The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-03-29
RATS, CATS AND SNAKES.
SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS BE-
LIEVED BY THE COREANS.

Difference Paid to Reptiles-Tabby Not
ing1y TrOubIesome-The Legend of the
Farmer and the Snake.
Corean houses are usually more than sup
piled with rats They gambol about on the
paper ceilings, if the room is supplied with a
ceiling, if not they burrow in the mass of
mud and mortar between the rafters and the
tiles In case the room is furnished with a
ceiling the rats become very disagreeable in
deed, for the thick paper is like drumhead,
and being made up of several layers held to-
gether by rice paste, the rats pull up strips OF
this paper and eat it. The noise is like that
of an amateur brass band, and never fails to
arouse foreigner from the soundest slumber,
be he ever so used to it, while upon the
new conner the effect is quite exaggerated.
By species of drum practice upon this drum
head ceiling the rats may be so frightened
that they will stay away for the rest of the
night.
The natives do not like rats, and endeavor in
various ways to get rid of them, as, for in
stance, by placing written character on the
ceiling or many characters at times under
the popular superstition that rats, like people,
so respect the written characters that they will
not desecrate it by walking over it. Some
rats, however are said to be like some people,
and the charm does not always work satisfac
torily.
FREEDOM FOR SNAKES
Snakes are allowed free liberty in and upon
a Corean house. They usually live in burrows
in the mud under the tiles. These burrows
are doubtless used by the rats during the win
ter time, and they are noticeably absent dur
ing the summer, after the proper occupants
have thawed out. The snakes doubtless make
it lively for the rats, but their principal food
is the eggs and young of the swallows, which
live under the caves. One can always tell
when the snake is visible by the excited chat
tering of the birds. Hundreds of them con-
gregate about where he may be summing him
self on the hot tiles, and jabber away at him
with all their might. Others fly away and
enlist the services of the impudent magpies,
who come screaming in their shrill tones and
give Mr.. Snake a sharp dig in some unpro-
tected part The snake usually gets the worst
of the encounter and runs to cover.
The people will not kill the snakes; they
have superstition based on fear They trace
it back to story conGSrning a man who
killed poisonous snake and afterward was
killed, together with his whole family, by the
mate of the dead reptile The house snakes
are some three feet in length, fat, lazy and
practically harmless.
One cannot help but note the absence of
cats in Corea, and as the rats become more
and more troublesome occasional feline
serenade becomes an appreciated favor Cats
are sometimes kept, but they are seldom seen,
while dogs are everywhere and WeaSelS are
not rarity The latter are always wild and
confine their raids mostly to chickens.
The cat is considered an uncanny animal
and never occupies the place it does in
European household. The superstition con-
corning the cat is also traced back to a story,
and is as harmful to the descendants of the
hero Tor heroine) of the story as it was bene-
fetal in the case of the snake
LEGENDARY TALE.
It is reported that once upon time
farmer working in the field felt a sense of
vacUity which frequent Tightening of his
belt would not relieve. He went on till he
could wait no longer, and from wondering
why his spouse had not brought him his Gus
tomary meal he worked himself up into
rage at her negligence. He decided to go
and investigate the matter, and on the way
he took the precautioE of selecting good
club for any necessary use such as clubs may
be put to. Searching his house. he espied his
wife lying on a mat with her baby in her
arms, apparently both asleep. "Ah hal" he
cried, ''this is the way you loiter around
while work in the field till my belly has
vanished. I'll teach you thing or two"
With which he struck her sound blow,
which only resulted in jolting the babe from
the breast and disclosing a drop of blood
where milk should have been.
The enraged farmer was startled He
forgot his anger as he saw that his little
family lay dead before him. He went to ex-
aiming the apartment and under chest he
found a lot of blood and the half of snake,
with cat still eating at the living head and
upper portion of the body. The snakes head
still jumped about and the fangs darted out,
keeping the cat busy to keep out of the way.
But the jumping head had struck the sleeping
mother and the deadly fangs had pierced her
flesh, sending the poisoned blood into the
nursing infant, killing them both. Since
that time cats are not kept in the country,
and are but seldom seen in the cities When
seen they appear wild and run as if afraid of
their lves.-"H. N. A" in San Francisco
Chronicle