8 AET. 12. — K. YENDO. 



lias only a limited circulation it will he preferable to repeat the 

 explanation here. 



The two prevailing ocean currents along the coast of Japan 

 may be l)riefly described as a warm and a cold current. The 

 warm current is the main north equatorial stream, which, turning 

 towards the north in the Philippines, runs along the Loochoo 

 Islands. At the Kiushiu Islands, it divides into two streams, the 

 main or eastern being known as the Japan or Black Current. 

 This runs still farther northward and northeastward to Vancouver 

 Island, on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean. It is this 

 current which washes the east coast of the Main Island (Honshu) 

 of the Japanese Archipelago, running as far north as Kinkwasan 

 Island in the summer, but in winter it is pushed aside by the 

 cold stream from the Behring Sea, so tliat at that time of the 

 year it cannot be traced farther north than Cape Inuboi. 



The lesser of the two branches of the north equatorial 

 stream is known as the Korean or Tsushima Current. It washes 

 the western coast of the Kiushiu Islands and flows into the 

 Japan Sea through Tsushima Strait. Although this branch is 

 a rather weak stream as compared with the eastern current, it 

 travels farther north, washing the west coast of Japan, and 

 passes out through Soya Strait toward the east. Its final end 

 may be traced though faintly on the Ochotsk side of the south 

 Kurile or Etorofu Island. 



The main cold currents are likewise two in number. One 

 of them originates at Behring Strait and runs south-westward 

 along the coast of the Kurile Islands and washes the south- 

 eastern coast of Hokkaido (Yezo). Bending southward it dis- 

 appears in the Pacific near Kinkwasan Island in summer, and 

 at Ca]-)0 Imiboi in winter. These two points off the coast of 



