A, S. Bickmore on the Ainos of Yesso. 353 
St. Leonards, near Sydney, 17 January, 1867. 
Art. XXXVIII—The Ainos, or Hairy men of Yesso; by 
LBERT 8. BickMorE, A.M. 
(From the Proceedings of the Boston Soe. of Nat. Hist., Dec. 4th, 1867.) 
Tux islands that now form the empire of Japan are four in 
number: Kiusiu, on the south, opposite Corea; Sikok, a 
little to the northeast ; Niphon, the great island of Japan, to 
the north ; and Yesso, another large island to the north of the 
latter. In the most southern part of Yesso, on the wide strait, 
which separates that island from Niphon, is situated Hakodadi, 
its chief city, and its only port open to foreign trade 
riving at this place on my way northward from Yedo to 
Siberia, at the solicitation of our Consul, Col. E. E. Rice, the 
apanese Governor gave me the privilege of going some miles 
beyond the places usually visited by foreigners and seeing a real 
village of the Ainos— the aborigines of these islands and the 
least known of all the people of the east. 
From Hakodadi I travelled northward over a mountain ra 
to the active voleano Ko-man-ga-ta-ki, and descending its north- 
ern flanks came to the village of Mori on Volcano Bay. Here for 
the first time I had the privilege of seeing a man and woman 
of that strange people. 
rom Mori we followed the shore for fifteen miles to Ya-ma 
san 2g 
and sometimes along the little paths that lead from one fishing 
village to another, in a neighboring bay. Terraces extend 
7 in. ; 
ing bluffs one hundred or one undred and fifty feet in 
height, but back of these was another series as much higher. 
The fishermen near the head of the bay were taking fishes much 
like our herring, in great quantities, for theiroil. The residue 
in the boiling pots is pressed into square masses and exported 
as manure for rice fields. There we saw many Ainos at work 
maith Japanese, but usually they prefer to work in companies by 
themselves, 
From Ya-ma Koosh-nai we travelled five miles to Urope, a 
_ Village of three or four Japanese, and about twenty Aino 
___ AM. Jour. Sct.—Szconp Szrms, Vou. XLV, No. 135.—May, 1868. Be i 
a2, 
