The Days of a Man Cigoo 



Aomori rude and poor as compared with those of the south, 

 '^''^ an appearance mainly produced by the thick walls 



of the low houses which line the broad streets. 

 One pretty feature is the planting of amaryllis along 

 the ridgepoles; but winter photographs show snow 

 up to the eaves, though the summer vegetation 

 round about is luxuriant and the air is often filled 

 with the delicious odor of some mountain thyme or 

 mint. During our stay I attended a very interesting 

 " teachers' institute " conducted on the American plan, 

 its director being a graduate of Michigan University. 

 Having done all we could at Aomori, we now left 

 the main island for a time, crossing to Hakodate on 

 Hokkaido or Yezo (sixty miles directly north) where 

 we met a very different land fauna. For the Straits 

 of Tsugaru form what is known to zoologists as 

 "Biackis- " Blackiston's Line," because Captain T. W. Blackis- 

 ton'sLine" ^qj^ gj.g|. notcd the fact that the characteristic birds, 

 mammals, and reptiles of Nippon do not cross it; 

 that is, no pheasants, monkeys, snakes, or any of the 

 various typical warm-weather animals are found in 

 Hokkaido. Southern fishes also mostly disappear, 

 but that change is gradual and due solely to the 

 lowered temperature of the water. 

 Hakodate Hakodate, built on a flat isthmus behind its 

 stately, fortified, rocky promontory, is very attrac- 

 tive as seen from an approaching boat. Beyond it 

 to the west stretches a great, circular sweep of bay, 

 the green shore-line overtopped by the Arctic-looking 

 peak of Karasu, The city itself seems crude and 

 new, with broad, straight streets, thick, heavy houses 

 to keep out the winter cold, and roofs covered with 

 shingles instead of the pleasing blue-gray tiles so 

 characteristic of the south. Numerous fur stores 



n 54 3 



