14 OCTOBER 1938, Page 42

CURRENT LITERATURE

In Korean Wilds and Villages (Gifford, 12s. -6d.) ,is a straight- forward and at times rather monotonous account of a scientific expedition to ICorea undertaken, by the i'vell-knoWn Swedish naturalist and explorer Mr. Sten Bergman.. His aim was to study the bird and animal life of the country and collect specimens for Swedish museums. Scientifically the expedition was a great success and the official report will be published separately. This 'book is merely- a record - of his various journeys up and &Ain the country. As, in spite of Japanese efficiency, there are still many . bandits roaming the country, Mr. Bergman never ventured far from the beaten track, and one gets the impression that most of his stories Of native customs are secondhand. He climbed Paiktusan; the Sacred 'Mountain, with a Japanese military escort, found hunting pheasants with a hawk a very fascinating sport, killed several wild boars, and was thrilled by the illuminated cherry-blossom in the chief park of Keijo, the capital. The book is very well illus- trated; in fact one gets a much better impression of the country from the pictures than from the text. The translation is stilted and clumsy.