22 THE WILD REINDEER OF NORWAY. 



they resort to the lower grounds in spring, proceed 

 along them till they come to one of these openings, 

 through which in forcing their way, one of their 

 number is usually entangled in the noose. 



In Norway, at the present day, the animal is 

 stalked, and exceedingly hard work it is, con- 

 sidering the rocky and precipitous character of the 

 ground to be traversed, and the wild and wary 

 nature of the quarry. There is a Norwegian saying 

 to the effect that " the rein has good eyes and ears, 

 but his nose that is a marvel ; " alluding to the 

 exquisite power of scent possessed by the animal, 

 which enables him to detect the approach of a 

 human being or a beast of prey at an immense 

 distance. Indeed, a friend of mine who has had 

 considerable experience, in Himalayan sport assures 

 me that he has found that reindeer stalking requires 

 as much skill, patience, and bodily endurance as 

 the pursuit of the ibex, burrell, and tahir in the 

 great mountain ranges of India and Thibet. 



The circumstances under which I shot my first 

 deer were as follows : 



I had been camped out on the mountains for 

 several days, living in a small tent, and having a 

 Norwegian hunter as my companion, with whom, 

 as I had made some progress in learning Norsk, I 

 got on capitally ; he could not speak a word of 

 English, but was well acquainted with the habits of 



