1888-89.] A Sportiiig Tour m Norway. 209 



of arachnides, the scorpion, are both common. Their stints 

 are exceedingly painful, but never, I think, fatal to a healthy 

 adult. ^ 



I shall end with the story of a centipede. One evening 

 when I was sitting at dinner in Banda at the regimental 

 mess, a centipede made its appearance on the table. In spite 

 of my warning, the doctor of the regiment, a youna and 

 healthy man, seized hold of it by the middle of its body It 

 managed to screw itself round, and drove its many legs into 

 his hand. Of these many legs, the two front ones contain a 

 virulent poison. My friend did not utter any sound but it 

 was a strange sight to see his face. In an instant all the 

 colour had faded out of it, and it was as pale and ghastly 

 as the face of a corpse. I crushed the centipede with the 

 candle-snuffers, which lay convenient, and then scarified the 

 stmg wounds in my friend's hand, and applied ammonia and 

 laudanum ; but he never slept a wink that night, and was not 

 himself for many days, if not weeks. So Banda contains 

 worse things than even spear-grass. 



11.—^ SPORTING TOUR IN NORWAY. 



By Mr TOM SPEEDY. 



{Read Dec. 26, 1888.) 



I SAILED from Leith for Norway, with a small and select com- 

 pany of naturalists, on the s.s. Sverre Sigurdss^n, on the 24th' 

 of August last. After passing the Isle of May, we proceeded 

 to steer our way into the l^orth Sea, the dread of all seafaring 

 men, and even of tourists during the summer months. After 

 a voyage of over thirty hours, memorable for nothing but that 

 horrible sensation of sea-sickness, which, for the time being, 

 renders all earthly considerations— wife and children, and 

 even life itself— to be of smaU account, we got into smooth 

 water, and sailed up the Hardanger Fjord, an ever-varyina 

 panorama of mountain and lake scenery, till we dropped anchor 



