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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



visits the village in summer, many of the outlying huts will be 

 hidden among the tall, rank weeds, and by the growing vegetables. 

 In every village which I visited I was constantly being surprised 

 at the guides taking me off by some narrow foot-path in a direc- 

 tion where I had not suspected there was a house, and always we 

 would find one or more. 



The Ainu huts possess no claims to consideration from an 

 architect. Their light frames have just strength enough to carry 

 the thatch and resist the ordinary winds that blow from the ocean, 

 on the shore of which most of the Ainu villages are built. We 

 will consider a large house in which will be domiciled a family 

 consisting of father, mother, and several well -grown sons and 

 daughters. In building such a habitation the quadrilateral roof 

 is first made. The ridge-pole and plates will probably be roughly 

 hewed sticks of considerable size, in one piece if possible, though 

 jointed if necessary. The girders and rafters are round sticks, 

 lashed together and to the ridge-pole and plates with withes. No 

 nails or tree-nails are used. Strong tie-beams support the plates, 

 and when the roof is raised to its place, will carry shelves for 

 stores, clothing, implements, etc. The thatch of the roof is laid 

 on in courses of about eighteen inches in length, conforming to 

 the length of the tall reeds and arundinaria of which it is made. 



Fig. 1.— Ainu Houses* 



The ridge is usually thicker and stronger than the rest of the roof, 

 and is lashed by seizings at short intervals ; the ends of the ridge- 

 pole often project slightly, and small openings are left at either 

 end under the ridge, which serve as smoke-holes. The roof is 

 closely laid, turns water well, and has sufficient pitch to cause the 

 melted snow to run off freely. Its strength is quite remarkable, 



* For the illustrations in this article we are indebted to " Unbeaten Tracks in Japan," 

 by Isabella L. Bird. — Editor. 



