if the stone they touch be fast; and in this they must be left to themselves, or the best rider will run the risk of his neck. But when they are to go down a very steep and slippery place, they, in a surprising manner, draw their hind-legs together under them, and slide down. They shew a great deal of courage in fighting with the wolves and bears, which they are often obliged to do; for when the horse perceives any of them near him, and has a mare or gelding with him, he places them behind him, attacks his antagonist by striking at him with his fore-legs, and usually comes off conqueror. The Norway cows are generally of a yellow colour, as are also the horses. They are small, but their flesh is fine-grained, juicy, and well tasted.

The sheep here are small, and resemble those of Denmark. The goats, in many places, run wild, winter and summer, in the fields, till they are ten or twelve years old; and when the peasant, who owns them, is to catch them, he must either do it by some snare or shoot them. They are so bold, that if a wolf approaches them, they stay to receive him, and if they have dogs with them, they will resist a whole herd. They frequently attack the snakes, and when they are bit by them, not only kill their antagonists, but eat them; after which they are never known to die of the bite, though they are ill for several days. The owner warms their own milk, and washes the sore with it.

Near Rostad, is a flat and naked field, on which no vegetable will grow. The soil is almost white, with grey stripes, and has somewhat of so peculiarly poisonous a nature, that though all other animals may safely pass over it, a goat or a kid no sooner sets its foot upon it, than it drops down, stretches out its leg, its tongue hangs out of its mouth, and it expires if it has not instant help.

of

There are few hogs in Norway, and not many the common deer; but the hares, which in the cold season change from brown or grey to a snow white, are very cheap in winter.

The hurtful beasts are the bears and wolves, the

lynx, vast numbers of white, red, and black foxes, and the glutton, a creature which few other countries know any otherwise than by report. This animal receives its name from its voracious appetite. In size and shape he has some resemblance to a long-bodied dog, with thick legs, sharp claws and teeth. His colour is black, variegated with brown and yellowish streaks. He has the boldness to attack every beast he can possibly conquer; and if he finds a carcase six times as big as himself, he does not leave off eating as long as there is a mouthful left. When thus gorged, he presses and squeezes himself between two trees that stand near together, and thus empties himself of what he has not time to digest. As his skin shines like damask, and is covered with soft hair, it is very precious. It is therefore well worth the huntsman's while to kill him without wounding his skin, which is done by shooting him with a bow and blunt arrows.

The martin is also hunted on account of its skin, as are likewise the squirrel and the ermine, both of which are therefore shot with blunt arrows. I am in doubt whether the ermine be different in kind from the Danish weasel. Its valuable skin is of a beautiful white, and it has a black spot on the tail. The ermines run after mice like cats, and drag away what they catch, particularly eggs, which are their nicest delicacy.

As to the reptiles, there are neither land-snakes nor toads beyond the temperate zone; and even those snakes on the extremities of the temperate climate are less poisonous than in more southern countries. Lizards are here of various colours, as brown, green, and striped. Those that are green are found in the fields, and the others in the cracks and holes of rocks.

Among the fowls are most of those seen in the rest of Europe, and some that seem peculiar to this country; of which last, the most remarkable is the francolin, an excellent land bird, which serves the Norwegians instead of the pheasant, its flesh being white, firm, and of a delicious taste.

In short, there are here such incredible numbers of

VOL. II.

G

L

sea and land fowls near the rocks on the sea-shore, that they sometimes obscure the sight of the heavens for many miles out at sea; so that one would imagine all the fowls of the universe were gathered together in one flock. BISHOP OF BERGEN.

SECT. XCVII.

OF LAPLAND.

WE took a journey from the town of Varanger inte the country of Lapland, to try whether any trade could be carried on with the peasants there. Setting out early in the morning, we took with us some cloth and tobacco to trade with, and salt beef and pork for our provisions. We engaged three of the inhabitants of Varanger to attend us, both to shew us the way, and to help to carry our goods and provisions to the next village. We followed them through woods, mountains, and valleys, without meeting any living creature, till about four o'clock in the afternoon, when we perceived two white bears of a prodigious size approach, as we thought, to devour us; but our guides, observing the terror we were in, bid us not be afraid, but only to have our arms ready for defence, in case they approached too near us. Upon which we cocked and primed our pieces, and prepared our flints. But whether the bears were frightened at the fire which struck from our flints, or smelt our powder, they soon fled away so fast, that they were presently out of sight.

As we were descending a mountain about an hour before night, we perceived at the foot of it a dozen houses at a considerable distance from each other, and a little beyond them a herd of beasts like stags, which our guides told us were rein-deer. On our arrival at the village, our guides conducted us to a hut, when being very weary, we were glad to rest ourselves; for we had made a long journey in a very bad way, with our luggage on on our backs, which tired and encumbered us.

We presented our host with a piece of roll tobacco,

and he received it with extraordinary joy, assuring us, he had not had so valuable a present in nine months before; and in return he brought out his brandy bottle, some rein-deer's flesh dressed without salting, and some dried fish, which we gave to our guides, and supped ourselves upon the provisions we had brought with us. Having made a hearty meal, we went to sleep upon bear's skins, after the fashion of the country.

In the morning we asked our host if he had nothing to barter with us for cloth and tobacco. To which he answered, that he had some skins of wolves, foxes, and white squirrels, and that his neighbours had some of the same commodities, which they would gladly exchange with us. We bid him, by our interpreters, bring out his skins; and if he had any cloths made of rein-deer skins, we told him we would deal with him for four suits, which we wanted to keep us warm. Accordingly he brought forth his merchandize, which we bought, and paid him part in tobacco, and part in cloth. We also trucked with his neighbours as long as they had any thing worth buying.

TRAVELS THROUGH LAPLAND.

SECT. XCVIII.

THE MANNER OF TRAVELLING IN SLEDGES DRAWN

BY REIN-DEER.

BEING desirous of continuing our journey, we begged our host to lend us some rein-deer to carry us farther up the country, to which he readily consented; and taking down a horn that hung up in his cottage, went out and blew it. Upon which fourteen or fifteen of those animals came running towards the hut, six of which he immediately yoked to six sledges. In one of them we put our merchandize and provisions; another we assigned to one of our guides who understood the language of the Moscovite Laplanders, and that of the Kilops, dismissing the two other inhabitants of Varanger, after having first paid them in tobacco for their trouble. We then put on our Lapland clothes, and each of us lying down in his sledge, was covered with a

bear's skin. At the back of the sledge were two girths made of rein-deer skin leather, in which we thrust our arms up to the shoulders to keep ourselves steady; and we had each a stick with a strong ferrule, in order to support the sledge, if it should be in danger of overturning against the stumps of trees, or stones lying in

the way.

We were no sooner ready to set out, than our bost muttered some words in the ear of the rein-deer; and when I afterwards enquired of the guide what he meant by it, he gravely replied with the utmost simplicity, that it was to tell them whither they should carry us. Custom, however, had made this muttering so familiar to them, that when our host had gone to all the six, they set off with amazing swiftness, and continued their pace over hills and dales without keeping any beaten path, till seven o'clock in the evening; when they brought us to a large village situated between two mountains, on the borders of a great lake. Stopping at the fourth house in the place, and beating the ground with their feet, the master of the house came with some of his servants to take us out of the sledges, and unharness our cattle, one of them bringing out a little juniper can filled with brandy, of which he gave each of us a brimmer out of a larger vessel that was also made of juniper wood. This it seems was to revive our spirits, our guide having informed him, that we were frightened at our being drawn so swiftly by these animals, having never been used to that way of travelling.

The rein-deer is of the colour of the stag, and is not much bigger. The horns of this animal are somewhat higher than those of the stag, but more crooked, hairy, and not so well furnished with branches. Of the milk of the females they make good butter and cheese. These animals, indeed, constitute the greatest, and almost the only riches of the Finlaplanders. In Finmark, there are vast numbers of them both wild and tame, and many a man there has from six or eight hundred to a thousand of these useful creatures which never come under cover. They follow him wherever