92 THE NATURALIST IN NORWAY. 



fluence of the Gulf Stream, that the sea in the vicinity 

 of the North Cape is never completely frozen. Pont- 

 oppidan makes mention of this fact. " It is a strange 

 circumstance/' says the Bishop, " namely, open waters 

 in the north, while in the south they are frozen." 



A whimsical mistake was made some years ago by 

 some French travellers concerning the locality of the 

 North Cape. Having arrived afc a point of land on an 

 extensive lake in Swedish Lapland, they supposed they 

 had reached the North Cape, although they were then 

 between two and three hundred miles distant from it. 

 They determined, however, to erect a monument which 

 should inform succeeding generations that they had 

 visited the most northern point in Europe ; so they 

 erected a heap of stones on the summit of the hill by 

 the side of this Swedish lake, whereon they placed an 

 inscription, that France gave them birth; Africa, India, 

 and the whole of Europe had been seen by them, and 

 that now, having arrived at the " end of the world," 

 they wished to announce the remarkable fact to all 

 future comers. The names of the travellers were mo- 

 destly given at the end of the inscription. I have been 

 informed that, on his return home, one of the travellers 

 published a minute account of his visit to the " end of 

 the world." 



Besides the ermine, hare, and lemming, a few tame 

 reindeer are kept by some wandering Lapps on Ma- 

 gero. The latter must have a melancholy time of it, 

 for, on account of the constant roughness of the sea, 

 they are very seldom able to visit the mainland. 



