4 YESSO. 



east cape of the island (Noyshap) flows along the shore 

 to the -west as far as Yerimo, after which its influence is 

 not perceptible. The contrary stream of warm water, a 

 portion of the equatorial -current which passes through 

 the Korean Straits into the Sea of Japan, and from 

 there branches to the eastward through the Tsuga 

 Strait, reaches Cape Yerimo, where these sea-lions 

 congregate ; this cape therefore becomes the blending 

 point of the two streams. Probably this was the reason 

 why these animals congregated here. At any rate I 

 met with them nowhere else. On the 8th we reached 

 Akishi Bay, the only real harbour in the east of Yesso. 

 The bay runs inland for about five miles, and a ship can 

 anchor anywhere throughout, but except right at the 

 head, or in the south-west corner, it is open to the 

 ocean swell. Here I found a settlement of 40 Japanese 

 and 160 Ainos. Seaweed, deers' horns, and fish were 

 collected ; the latter being boiled down for manure, and 

 sent to the rice districts in the south, where it is valued 

 by the farmers for their crops. A narrow channel at 

 the very head of the bay connects it with a large 

 lagoon; at 'the north-west corner of it a river enters. 

 This lagoon, with its numerous dry patches and low 

 grassy islets, was the rendezvous of immense numbers 

 of ducks and waders. Oyster- catchers were busily 

 breeding. I found their eggs surrounded with frozen 



