Capt. Blakiston on the Ornithology of Northern Japan. 323 



sion. Descending the northern slope of the pass by a road even 

 more steep than that by which we had gained the summit, we 

 soon reached the lake. Keeping the main road to the left, we 

 skirted the shore, the road sometimes cutting off the points by 

 passing through the woods, but coming to the lake again at the 

 next bay, and at each successive return giving us a more beau- 

 tiful view of the volcano and lake. The latter was reflected in 

 the clear water with a distinctness that I thought I had never 

 seen equalled, while the wooded points jutting out and some 

 small islands gave an uncertainty to the extent of the sheet of 

 water, and allowed scope for the imagination. The country all 

 around was in a state of nature, heavily timbered with oak, ash, 

 elm, beech, poplar, birch, and maple ; and these, from the first 

 frosts of the season, which had just occurred, had put on those 

 colours so vividly impressed on the American traveller by the 

 fall-dress of the woods of the more northern parts of that conti- 

 nent, while the weather was the exact counterpart of the " In- 

 dian summer." There were great numbers of Ducks on the 

 lake, among which were the Mallard, Pintail, Scoter, Teal, and 

 a black Duck with a peculiarly marked bill ; but as we were 

 travelling along quickly, I had only time to stop and shoot a 

 couple for the pot. In the woods were numbers of migratory 

 Thrushes [Turdus fuscatus) , the Great Black Woodpecker {Dryo- 

 copus mar tins), other Black- and- White Woodpeckers, and a 

 small species {Picus kisuki) sporting about in company with 

 two or three kinds of Tits, and the Nuthatch named at the 

 head of this paragraph. A Jay {Garrulus brandtii) and Cuckoo 

 were also shot duiing this excursion. Some Geese were on 

 the lake, but they kept themselves so far from shore as to 

 be out of reach of our fowling-pieces. We put up for the 

 night at a Japanese inn, and next morning started through 

 the woods, under the direction of a native guide, to find a 

 new route to the volcano. We had a tremendous day's walk 

 through the thick forests, the only human beings whom we saw 

 being some solitary charcoal-burners at the commencement of 

 our journey ; but, after that, all was wild and unbi'oken forest. 

 We were in constant dread of poisoned arrows ; for we had been 

 informed that there had lately been " Inos " (original inhabit- 



