146 THE KII COAST. 



of deer and wild boar ; aud many a charming day I 

 have spent with my rifle and dogs in quest of these 

 animals. As I have already said, there is only one 

 species of deer found in the whole of Japan, Cerviis sika. 

 In the south the grass is coarse, rough- edged, and hard ; 

 consequently the deer are small, and usually very poor, 

 seldom weighing over 100 lbs., and have stunted badly- 

 shaped horns. I have shot numbers with only switch 

 horns, and no brow antler. In the north, where the 

 grass is long, soft, and succulent, the same deer are 

 nearer 200 lbs. than 100 lbs., and have very fine 

 antlers, always with four large points. I have never 

 seen this varied, even by the smallest addition. The 

 animal in the north is also fat, and excellent eating. 



Four kinds of snipe are met with wherever 

 swampy ground occurs. The most numerous of all 

 is Scolopax galliTiago, but it only appears in the winter. 

 The solitary snipe, S. solitaria, is found but rarely. 

 I do not thihk I shot half-a-dozen in as many years. 

 There is no mistaking this species after having once 

 seen it. To begin with, they are generally found 

 in most unlikely places, as if the bird really searched 

 out spots where no other snipe would dream of going. 

 When flushed, their flight is quiet, straight, and quick, 

 and generally one short note is uttered as they rise. 



