8276 



Birds. 



neighbourhood of Hakodadi, the professed birdcatchers, boys, children, 

 and others without any fixed occupation, devote themselves to the 

 capture of live birds. Having a cage containing an individual of the 

 species they are specially in quest of, they distribute small branches 

 and twigs smeared with bird-lime in situations most tempting for the 

 inquisitive, and, hiding themselves at a short distance, await the suc- 

 cessive arrivals of those attracted by the voice or motions of the " 'coy," 

 consigning each successive capture to the dark regions of a canvas bag. 

 Others roam about the woods with long and slender bamboo rods, 

 covered near their points with bird-lime, and stealthily approach un- 

 suspicious birds perched on trees or bushes, pushing the bamboo 

 through the leaves as gently as possible until close to the bird, when 

 it is brought quickly in contact with him, and fluttering his wings he 

 becomes securely fastened to the stick and is dragged down. I have 

 seen birds as large as the green woodpecker caught in this way, and 

 am only sorry that in the hurry of leaving I neglected to bring away 

 with me any of this superior kind of bird-lime, or to gain any know- 

 ledge of its composition. 



Silta roseilia. A beautiful species of nuthatch, of which but one 

 specimen was preserved. It was obtained on the 20th October, during 

 my return from a very interesting and pleasant excursion to the active 

 volcano of Comanataki, about five-and-twenty miles to the north of 

 Hakodadi, and near the southern shore of Volcano Bay, an extensive 

 inlet from the eastern or Pacific side, which nearly cuts off the southern 

 portion of the island of Yesso. 



On this occasion we left Hakodadi (a party of English and 

 Americans, six in number) on the morning of the 17th, on horseback, 

 having pack-animals, in charge of Japanese servants, carrying our 

 provisions and blankets. Skirting the shore of the bay for about four 

 miles, along which, as the tide was out, we were able to ride on the 

 smooth sand-beach, we thence followed the northern road across a 

 broad valley, or rather plain, which lies between ranges of hills on 

 either hand, and is otherwise bounded by the sea. After the fishing 

 hamlets on the shore, the little villages of neat wooden houses with 

 thatched roofs, surrounded by gardens and coppices, in the midst of 

 well- cultivated land, were refreshing and pleasing to behold. Most of 

 the crops were already housed ; but some little rice, owned probably 

 by the more lazy farmers, was not cut, and potatoes, beans and the 

 long white turnips, called 4 dygons,' were being rapidly got up. We 

 balled in the middle of the day at a large village called Ono, where we 

 baited our animals and refreshed ourselves on boiled maize-heads, 



