88 FALCO GYRFALCO, 



before pointed out the rock where the nest was. It was only a mile 

 (Norwegian) from the nest, while Lassi lived two miles off, on the way 

 to Kaaressuando, whither, I was told, there was not a Lapp at home who 

 knew the road. Getting three Reindeer, Ave started at once, and in 

 course of time came to the small cliffs in the narrow valley where the 

 river lay. First I went to a nest of perfectly easy approach, and probably 

 the preceding year's : I thought it was a Buzzard's. A littlfe further 

 on, rather upon a craggy bit of hill than a rock, there were three or 

 four old nests, and near them feathers, some of which I took for 

 Falcons' and others for Buzzards' ; abundance also of fresh dmig ; 

 and one of the nests had been slightly mended. A few steps away 

 lay the haunch of a Reindeer, which the Lapp said had evidently 

 been killed by a Wolf, after being driven to the edge of the little pre- 

 cipice, but not over it. The Wolf's spoor was effaced by more recent 

 snow, but the tracks of Foxes were fresh. We talked a long time about 

 the Lapp murderers of the last Avinter ^, whom our man had guarded to 

 Alten, and then about midnight got our deer through the deep snow 

 on to the river again, having put on our Lapp clothes, which we had 

 taken off" for the climb. Returning, the man showed me the rock 

 where it was thought the nest then might be. The people at the 

 Parsonage would be sitting up; the deer would be ready for the 

 journey ; the snow was probably deep ; and I all but determined not 

 to try this rock, which was perhaps a quarter a mile from the river. 

 I thought the birds could hardly be there when none had shown 

 themselves. Fortunately I decided to go. We had not long left 

 the track on the river, when a Falcon flew up from the rock where 

 the nest was supposed to be, and soon afterwards, turning back, 

 settled on the trunk of a dead tree, once or twice uttering a cry. I 

 now knew there was a nest, and in a few minutes more I saw it, look- 

 ing very large, and with a black space about it, as though it were in 

 the mouth of a little cave in the face of the rock. This was a joyfid 

 moment, but not so much so as when the hen bird flew off" with 

 somewhat cramped wings, and settled on a little stump, some thirty 

 yards from the nest. I would not let Ludwig shoot. We were 

 ascending the hill, and might be fifty yards off" when she left the 

 nest. I took off" my shoes, though there was deep snow everywhere 



^ [On the 8th of November 1852, some fanatic Lapps made a sudden and un- 

 provoked attack on the village of Kautokeino, and in their fi-enzy murdered or ill- 

 treated several of the Norwegian inhabitants. The malefactors were subsequently 

 taken, and after trial two of them were executed at Alten — the rest, some of 

 whom were women, being sentenced to imprisonment for various periods, in pro- 

 portion to their complicity in the crime. — Ed.] 



