Capt. Blakiston on the Ornithology of Northern Japan. 313 



in its monotony by some blacky sombre-looking Government 

 establishments. A few houses straggle up the mountain-side, 

 whose rugged steep near its summit forms an admirable contrast 

 to a thick forest of cedai's and pines clothing its northern face. 

 The Russian Consulate is a large imposing building, situate at 

 one corner of this wood, and painted white ; and this mark of 

 foreign intervention is being increased by the addition of a Rus- 

 sian Hospital, and the British Consulate which is being built 

 alongside. 



A stranger landing from China is at once struck with the 

 comparative wideness of the principal streets ; but he cannot but 

 notice that the ingenious Japanese, instead of paving or mac- 

 adamizing them with stones, leave them to the care of an ever- 

 watchful Providence, and pile the stones on the house-tops to 

 keep the shingles (wooden tiles) from being blown away by the 

 blasts of the typhoons which occasionally sweep over. The lowness 

 of the houses is to be accounted for otherwise, namely, by the 

 occurrence of earthquakes. Probably before you have taken many 

 steps on the dry land of Yesso, you will have been made aware 

 of the principal occupation of the inhabitants, and of one of the 

 sources of wealth of Hakodadi, by the all-pervading odour of 

 drying fish and sea-weed ; and if an ornithologist, you may re- 

 pent that you had not, in your earlier life, rather turned your 

 attention to " sea-side studies," on finding yourself everywhere 

 surrounded by clams, cockles, kelp, and cuttle-fish. But never 

 mind ! — cheer up ! Look at the fine mountain country across 

 the bay to the northward — the thickly wooded hill-sides where 

 sport Woodpeckers of many hues. Jays, Nutcrackers, and Wood 

 Grouse. Turn to the fine fern-covered plains, the haunts of Quail, 

 Larks, and the more obscure but not the less interesting Buntings 

 and their congeners. See oases of clumps of trees clustered 

 round the dwellings or gardens of the scattered villages, where you 

 will find various kinds of warblers. Thrushes of several species, 

 and other winged songsters little behind the most melodious of 

 your own country. Observe the Black-winged Kite as he sweeps 

 along the sea-beach, and the Buzzard and Harrier as they course 

 the margins of lakes or hover over the reed-filled swamps, where 

 Ducks and Teal conceal themselves in quiet till the shades of 



