NO. 15 



SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I92I 



35 



forest these vile worms are found in countless numbers. They attach 

 themselves to the skin and suck the blood with great avidity and con- 

 stant vigilance is necessary to prevent serious damage. 



Japan is not very favorable for the collecting of grasses as it is 

 mostly a forested region and there is comparatively little open country. 

 The bamboos were of interest as there are many species. In the 

 Lake Hakone region the hills were covered for miles with a single 



Fig. 35. — ^Hills near Lake Hakone, Japan. The vegetation on the distant 

 slopes is almost exclusivel.v a single species of bamboo (Arniidinaria chino), 

 4 to 8 feet high. 



species of bamboo {Anindinaria china ), 4 to 8 feet high, often to the 

 exclusion of everything else. 



China on the other hand was very rich in grasses. One of the 

 surprises of the trip was to find so much open grass land in a country 

 that is said to be very thickly populated. The cities of China are 

 very much crowded and the valley lands are intensively cultivated, 

 but the hills are unoccupied and almost unused. This is in striking 

 contrast to our own western regions where, except in National Forests 

 and other protected areas, the grass lands are extensively grazed. 

 The basic reason for this condition in China appears to be the risk 

 from bandits. The valley lands can be protected but the hills are 

 open to the attack of robbers. 



