xviii.] LAKE BIWA. 675 



liquors purchased for the dinner, consisting of fowls, eggs, 

 potatoes, red wine and beer, giving at the same time a receipt 

 as a matter of form. 



During our excursion on the lake we met with various boats 

 laden with sea-weed, which had been taken up from the bottom 

 of the lake to be used as manure for the neighbouring culti- 

 vated fields. Partly among these algae, partly by dredging, 

 Lieut. Nordquist collected various interesting fresh-water Crus- 

 tacea (Paludina, Melania, Unio, Planorbis &c.,) several sorts 

 of shrimps (a Hippolyte) small fishes, &c. Lake Biwa abounds 

 in fish, and harbours besides a large clumsily-formed species of 

 lizard. In order to make further collections of the animal 

 forms occurring there, Lieut. Nordquist remained at the lake 

 till next day. I, on the other hand, went immediately back to 

 Kioto, arriving there in the evening after nightfall. 



After having eaten, along with my two Japanese companions 

 an unexceptionable European dinner at the inn of the town, 

 kept by Japanese, but arranged in Euro23ean style, we paid a 

 visit to a company of Japanese dancing-girls. 



Kioto competes with T)saka for the honour of having the 

 prettiest dancing-girls. These form a distinct class of young 

 girls, marked by a peculiar variegated dress. They wear besides 

 a peculiar hair-ornament, are much painted, and have their lips 

 coloured black and gold. At the dancing places of greatest note 

 a European is not received, unless he has with him a known 

 native who answers for his courteous behaviour. After taking 

 off his shoes on entering, the visitor is introduced to a separate 

 room with its floor covered with matting and its walls orna- 

 mented with Japanese drawings and mottoes, but without 

 other furniture. A small square cushion is given to each of the 

 guests. After they have settled themselves in Japanese fashion, 

 that is to say, squatting cross-legged, pipes and tea are brought 

 in, on which a whole crowd of young girls come in and, chatting 

 pleasantly, settle themselves around the guests, observing all the 

 while complete decency even according to the most exacting 

 European ideas. There is not to be seen here any trace of the 

 effrontery and coarseness which are generally to be found in 

 similar places in Europe. One would almost believe that he 

 was among a crowd of school-girls who had given the sour moral 

 lessons of their governess the slip, and were thinking of nothing 

 else than innocently gossiping away some hours. After a while 

 the dance begins, accompanied by very monotonous music and 

 singing. The slow movements of the legs and arms of the 

 dancers remind us of certain slow and demure scenes from 

 European ballets. There is nothing indecent in this dance, 

 but we learn that there are other dances wilder and less 

 decorous. 



X X 2 



