The bear hunt is looked forward to with anxiety. It is in the spring while snow is yet on the ground. Before starting the hunters pray to their gods for help and direction. Dogs accompany them. When a den is found, there is great excitement. They try to draw the animal out by teasing him with long poles. If he will not come out, one of the men draws his knife, enters the den, and faces the bear. The animal pushes him aside, when the hunter pricks him from behind with his knife. The angry animal then rushes forth, growling and snarling. The hunters and dogs waiting outside soon despatch him, though frequently some one is hurt or killed. The hunters then sit down near the dead bear and say all kinds of pretty things to him, pretending that they are sorry to have killed him, and asking his forgiveness. They then skin him, cut up the meat, carry it home, and have a feast. At Ainu feasts the men always become dreadfully drunk from drinking rice wine. When he drinks, the Ainu uses a little stick to lift his moustache and keep it from the wine. These moustache lifters are made for the purpose and are frequently neatly carved. Sometimes Ainu hunters secure a little bear cub, which they carry carefully home. It is fed with the best of food, and treated as a great pet. When it is so big as to be rough and troublesome, they put it in a cage. When it is quite grown, a bear feast is planned. Many guests are invited. The men eat millet-cakes and drink rice wine. After feasting for some time two men noose the bear with ropes and drag him around; the whole company then worry and tease the poor creature, finally choking him, after which they eat him. The Ainu have many gods. In praying to them they use _inao_. These are little sticks which are so whittled with knives that curls of shavings hang from them. There are several ways of cutting these, and they are believed to please the gods. They are stuck up in the ground and left where prayers are made. Ainu men spend much time whittling these inao. XVIII. HINDUS. The Hindus are but one of the many peoples living in India. They are considered a Caucasic, white people, though their skin is a dark brown and they have black hair and eyes. Their language belongs to the Aryan family, to which most European languages belong. The dress of the Hindus is too well known to need description. Hindu women are fond of jewelry, and wear rings, arm-rings, ankle rings, earrings, and nose rings of many kinds and made of gold, silver, or brass. The Hindus bear marks stamped upon themselves. Thus a round spot in the middle of the forehead, horizontal lines across the forehead, or perpendicular lines from the root of the nose to the top of the forehead, show to which of the great religious sects the man belongs. These marks are made fresh every morning.