HUNTING THE SEA OTTER. 149 



nestled, half moss-hidden, among the roots. Quantities of 

 salmon parr inhabited each pool ; and on our return we shot 

 sufficient for a fry by bringing them to the surface with 

 a bit of biscuit. The natives during September catch 

 large quantities of salmon in the bay, where they evidently 

 come in search of the mountain streams for the purpose of 

 breeding. Though we saw little water running then, large 

 bunches of dry grasses and sticks far above our heads 

 showed how great must be the rush of the torrent at 

 certain seasons. Few birds were either seen or heard 

 after we left the shore, where the uproar kept up by the 

 gulls was continuous. We noticed, however, a red- 

 breasted thrush, looking like an enlarged edition of the 

 robin, which eyed us askance before flitting away to pour 

 out his sweet song from the recesses of the thicket. A 

 bird, probably of the cuckoo species, amused us with its 

 incessant tu-tu, possibly as near an imitation of the correct 

 note as the damp coldness of the climate would allow. A 

 tiny wren, like our golden-crested variety, was busily at 

 work among the topmost branches of a birch tree. Two 

 ravens, perched upon the highest sprays of a dead cedar, 

 eyed us suspiciously ; and if we mention a small bird like 

 the white-throat, our list is complete. On our return to 

 the boats, large numbers of pigeons, almost exactly resem- 

 bling our stock dove and similar to those common through- 

 out Japan, were busily feeding upon the larvae of the sand 

 hopper, amidst the sand and seaweed of the high-water 

 line. 



The following day being too foggy for hunting, we went 

 ashore in the morning to shoot pigeons, which we found an 

 agreeable change from salt-horse and tinned provisions. 

 In the afternoon, Baker and I landed with our rifles to look 

 for bears ; but only saw one half-grown, and this took to 

 flight from some cause we were unable to discover, for we 

 approached very cautiously. We came upon the eyrie of 

 a pair of white-tailed eagles (H. Albicillus), but the nest 

 was as usual inaccessible. The old birds circled round and 



