8278 



Birds. 



broken forest. We were in constant dread of poisoned arrows, for we 

 had been informed that there had lately been lnos (original inhabitants 

 of Yesso) about, setting bows with poisoned arrows for bears. We 

 saw one bear, but as 1 was the only one who carried a gun, and was 

 then in the rear, he escaped. Later in the day we came to where the 

 eruptions of the volcano had devastated the forest, and uprooted trees : 

 logs and branches were thrown about in such confusion that it was 

 only with the utmost exertion that we made any progress even at the 

 slowest pace. At last, to the great joy of all, we got out on the cinder- 

 slope of the volcano, but it was evening. Notwithstanding, three of 

 the party started for the ascent (I had been up before) ; but one very 

 soon turned back, and the other two, after making an unsuccessful 

 attempt to reach the summit, were compelled to return, thoroughly 

 knocked up and parched with thirst. We had guided them back by 

 making an immense wood fire, it being quite dark when they arrived. 

 Knowing that it would be impossible to reach the house we had left 

 in the morning, we made our way down the side of the mountain to 

 one end of the lake, crossed a stream which flows out of it towards 

 the sea, and got to a deserted house which we knew of. As luck 

 would have it, we there found a Japanese officer, with two other men, 

 who had come for the purpose of making the ascent of the volcano, 

 and had put up there for the night; so getting a lot of bundles of dry 

 grass for beds, and cooking a mess of rice with four grouse (Bonasia 

 sylvestris), which I had shot during the day, and which I sorely 

 wanted to preserve for specimens, we filLed our stomachs and then 

 tried to sleep. But it froze hard in the night, and as most of us had 

 no coats with us, it was impossible to keep warm. We therefore 

 started a joke about bears being very numerous at this place, and got 

 one of our party so interested in the matter that I believe, had it not 

 been that we could not all restrain our feelings, he would have marched 

 up and down outside, keeping guard all the night. Next morning we 

 started at an early hour, after finishing the cold rice, walked round the 

 lake through deep swamps, then struck the road, and arrived at the 

 inn before mid-day. In the afternoon some of us rode some miles to 

 the shore of Volcano Bay, returning home by moonlight; and the fol- 

 lowing day we travelled back to Hakodadi, where an earthquake, 

 which occurred during the night, disturbed very few of us. 



[Here again I omit a more technical part of the catalogue.] 



Bonasia Selves tr is. I brought home a single young male speci- 

 men, which Dr. Sclater considers to be of this species, and which 



