THE FEATHERED GAME OF NORWAY. 159 
the principal charms, so that whatever sport comes 
in his way is looked on as subordinate to the former, 
and will prevent him growling and grumbling when 
he returns to his night quarters, that “ he has come all 
the way to Norway merely to shoot this wretched brace 
? 
of ryper;” or that “he has gone bear-slaving through 
the forest days together and seen nothing but a caper- 
calzie rising a hundred yards out of shot ;” then a visit 
to Norway will amply repay him, both as regards body 
and mind. But if, on the other hand, he expects to 
make a large bag of grouse, and will be disappointed it 
he cannot kill, at least, his twenty brace a day, and 
fall in with a bear or two, and kill sundry reindeer, and 
perhaps an elk, then by all means let him stay at home. 
Norway is essentially a country for sportsmen, and not 
at all a place for shooters. 
It is, indeed, a rare occurrence to be able to bag as 
much as fifteen brace a day ; and even that will require 
a great deal of very hard work. No doubt on some of 
the islands off the north-western coast large bags may 
be made, but I am now speaking of Norway Proper. 
A Norwegian friend of mine, and an excellent shoi, 
told me that he did not know any place where ‘ he 
could feel confident of killing ten brace in the day.” 
The fact is, the shooting has considerably deterio- 
rated, principally because the introduction of railways 
and steam communication have rendered it a profitable 
