324 Capt. Blakiston on the Ornithology of Northern Japan. 



ants of Yesso) about, setting bows with poisoned arrows for 

 Bears. We saw one Bear ; but as I was the only one who carried 

 a gun, and was then in the rear, he escaped. Later in the day 

 we came to where the eruptions of the volcano had devastated 

 the forest, and uprooted trees, logs, and branches were thrown 

 about in such confusion that it was only with the utmost 

 exertion that we made any progress even at the slowest pace. 

 At last, to the great joy of all, we got out on the cinder- slope of 

 the volcano ; but it was evening. Notwithstanding, three of the 

 party started for the ascent (I had been up before) ; but one very 

 soon turned back, and the other two, after making an unsuc- 

 cessful attempt to reach the summit, were compelled to return, 

 thoroughly knocked up and parched with thirst. We had guided 

 them back by making an immense wood fire, it being quite dark 

 when they arrived. Knowing that it would be impossible to 

 reach the house we had left in the morning, we made our way 

 down the side of the mountain to one end of the lake, crossed a 

 stream which flows out of it towards the sea, and got to a de- 

 serted house which we knew of. As luck would have it, we 

 there found a Japanese officer, with two other men, who had come 

 for the purpose of making the ascent of the volcano, and had 

 put up there for the night ; so getting a lot of bundles of dry 

 grass for beds, and cooking a mess of rice with four Grouse 

 [Bonasia sylvestris) which I had shot during the day, and which 

 I sorely wanted to preserve for specimens, we filled our stomachs 

 and then tried to sleep. But it froze hard in the night, and as 

 most of us had no coats with us, it was impossible to keep warm. 

 We therefore started a joke about Bears being very numerous 

 at this place, and got one of our party so interested in the mat- 

 ter, that I believe, had it not been that we could not all restrain 

 our feelings, he would have marched up and down outside, keep- 

 ing guard all the night. Next morning we started at an early 

 hour, after finishing the cold rice, walked round the lake through 

 deep swamps, then struck the road, and arrived at the inn before 

 mid-day. In the afternoon some of us rode some miles to the 

 shore of Volcano Bay, returning home by moonlight ; and the 

 following day we travelled back to Hakodadi, where an earth- 

 quake, which occurred during the night, disturbed very few of us. 



