152 SPORT IN NORWAY. 
more questionable ; but in my humble opinion I think 
both elk and hjerpe would thrive admirably in com- 
pany. Indeed, some twenty or thirty years ago, per- 
haps more, a herd of tame reindeer was sent over to 
Scotland. A Norwegian friend of mine told me he 
remembered seeing them being driven through the 
streets of Christiania previous to embarkation. The 
experiment did not succeed.* 
I have more than once alluded to the superstitions 
that are so prevalent amongst the Norwegian peasantry. 
In Mr. Asbjornsen’s celebrated “‘ Huldre Eventyr,” a 
fair idea may be formed of the queer tales and odd 
things they believe in. I was asked by the talented 
author of this book to translate it mto English, but 
a glance over its contents and style at once showed me 
that it was beyond my capabilities to render the slang 
expressions into anything lke idiomatic English; and 
at the same time to preserve the character of the work. 
And even by the very best translation possible, this 
* Lately, through the exertions of Professor Rasch and of other 
gentlemen interested in the acclimatization of animals, &c., a few 
young chamois from the alps of Bavaria have been introduced into 
the country. They are to be kept in an enclosed space for the first 
winter, and will be turned out in the neighbourhood of Gausta 
Fjeld, Thelemarken, next spring. This locality, which, though 
much colder than many other parts, yet being remote from the sea, 
the air from which is said to have an injurious effect upon these 
animals, has been selected as the scene of operations. I hear that 
they are doing well, and that there is every prospect of the ultimate 
success of the project. 
