174 



HARDJVICRE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



climate from its northern latitude (Trondhjem is 

 on the same parallel as Iceland, and Bergen even is 

 rather farther north than St. Petersburg), one would 

 expect it to be very severe and inclement, but, 

 owing to the Gulf Stream flowing directly against its 

 coasts, its western shores enjoy a remarkably mild 

 and agreeable temperature ; at Skudesnaes the mean 

 register of January is 34°, and of July 54 , Fahrenheit, 

 — i.e. only a difference of 20 ; the rainfall in 

 these districts is however very excessive, reaching to 

 as much as 90 in. per annum at Florti, against an 

 average of under 30 in. in England. 



Towards the interior, however, the climate shows 

 much greater extremes ; the valleys some sixty to 

 one hundred miles from the coast are sometimes 

 almost unbearably hot in summer, and in winter 

 they are very cold — the salt water of the fjords 

 forming a solid highway for the sleighs of the inhabi- 

 tants for many months together. 



I mention these facts to show what a variety in 

 Fauna and Flora may be expected in S.W. Norway, 

 much more than one would imagine in a district so 

 close to the Arctic Circle. 



Then again, although there is probably less sun- 

 shine in Norway in the course of a year, than with 

 us, there is very much more of it in summer ; south 

 of Trondhjem even, there is veritably no darkness 

 whatever for many weeks in June and July, which 

 has a marked effect upon the vegetation ; although 

 frees and plants of perennial growth are much more 

 stunted than with us, especially inland, where they 

 experience a long vigorous winter, all flowers and 

 foliage are very much more luxuriant than in this 

 country, owing to the continued daylight and long 

 hours of sunshine developing them to an unusual 

 degree. The progress of vegetation is so extraordi- 

 narily rapid that in the north of Norway barley will 

 often grow z\ inches in twenty-four hours, and it 

 is planted and harvested in the space of ten weeks ! 



Our first landing was at Bergen, where we spent 

 our time very agreeably amidst the accustomed sights 

 of the place. Here I will only mention that we 

 visited a most admirable museum, where I should 

 recommend all travellers to spend as much time as 

 possible ; this hint may prove useful if it is wet out 

 6f doors, as may frequently be the case in a town 

 where it is said to rain on at least three hundred 

 days in the year ! Besides a truly magnificent col- 

 lection of Norse antiquities, extending from the 

 earliest stone ages to the historic period, the museum 

 contains a most interesting and complete series of 

 Norwegian fish and marine animals, from the huge 

 whale skeletons in the main hall, downwards ; we 

 noticed fine seals, walruses, sword and sunfish, and 

 also bears, polar and brown, reindeer, and all other 

 Scandinavian animals, even to the little lemming of 

 the mountains ; some of the birds were remarkably 

 well set up, — the snowy owls and a nest of young ones 

 of another species, being particularly conspicuous. 



From Bergen we took train in the evening to 

 Vossevangen, and on the following day drove 

 through the most varied and wonderful scenery to 

 Gudvangen on the Noerofjord. It was truly a 

 glorious morning, bright sun, and weather all that 

 could be desired, so I got out my butterfly net, 

 hoping to have occasion to use it during the journey. 

 For the first hour and a half, I saw nothing on the 

 wing, but about 10.30 A.M. insect life began to stir, 

 and I pulled up the pony and jumped out of my 

 stolkjserre precipitately (to the huge amazement of 

 the small post-boy hanging on behind) to give chase 

 to what proved to be neither more nor less than a 

 "common blue" (Z. Icarus). Nothing daunted, 

 however, I kept my " weather eye " well open as 

 we drove along, and during the course of the next 

 few miles my captures consisted of Lyccena Agon, 

 more Icarus, and C. Pampliylus ; a little later, on a 

 bank of brilliant flowers beside a river, I gave chase 

 to a butterfly which appeared very like our British 

 Pararge Megcera on the under side, when settled, but 

 which proved to be a variety of the widely-spread 

 continental P. Mara. My specimen does not agree 

 exactly with any types I have seen in collections or 

 figures, being distinctly darker in colour, and with 

 the fulvous bands on the fore-wing larger and more 

 brilliant. 



The flora here was of mountain character for the 

 most part, but very luxuriant in growth ; I never in 

 my life saw such magnificent bedr, one might call 

 them, of oak and beech fern ; parsley fern, too, 

 appeared in glorious bunches on the higher grounds, 

 the fronds being remarkably fine ; Asplmium Tri- 

 chomanes grew everywhere in the rocks, but seemed 

 barely so thriving as it often is in Wales. Every 

 now and then we stopped to regale ourselves on 

 delicious wild strawberries and whinberries by the 

 wayside, and I also gathered a few black crowberries 

 {Empetrum nigrum). Many ordinary English wild 

 flowers grew in the greatest profusion in sheltered 

 situations, and near the streams, hair-bells, ragged 

 robin, and heartsease were especially noticeable for 

 their very large and brilliant blossoms — specimens 

 being in many instances almost half as large again as 

 with us. The common sundew or fly-catcher {Drosera 

 rotundifolia) I also noticed in damp places, and the 

 leaves were fully an inch across — perhaps a merciful 

 provision of Providence in a land of midges and 

 other insect pests ! En passant, I will say that 

 we were fortunate in escaping without serious attack 

 from the mosquitos, which are such a nuisance in 

 some districts, more particularly towards Sweden ; 

 we found a species of horse-fly very annoying, how- 

 ever, the blood-thirsty creatures were like the man- 

 eating tigers of India ; when they once tasted good 

 English blood, they gave up henceforth all idea of 

 subsisting on the life fluid of ordinary Norwegian 

 pony ! 



About mid-day, near Vinje, we came to some very 



