CURIOUS SPECULATION. 205 



On the Jemtland and Herjeadalen mountains in Sweden, 

 as well as in the north-eastern portion of Lapland up to the 

 North Cape, rein-deer are also pretty abundant. But in the 

 intermediate country, which with some propriety may be 

 called Western Lapland, in the widely-extended parishes of 

 Jockmock, Arjeplog, Lycksele and Asele, though formerly 

 numerous, very few, according to Lsestadius, are now to be 

 found. Several reasons are assigned for this. Amongst the 

 rest ; that the soil is not peculiarly favourable for the growth 

 of the rein-deer moss, the principal food of the rein-deer in 

 the winter time ; that the best feeding-grounds are inten- 

 tionally burnt by the Finnish and Swedish squatters, so that 

 the Lapps, with their herds of tame rein-deer (which are 

 found troublesome neighbours), may be kept from their 

 vicinity ; as also that these parishes are in a measure covered 

 with pine forests, where the snow always lies deep, and 

 greater facility is consequently afforded of running down 

 the rein- deer on Skidor, of which circumstance the Lapps 

 and others have not failed to take advantage. 



Nilsson has a curious speculation respecting the rein-deer. 

 He imagines that those once inhabiting Scania came from 

 the southward immediately after the boulder-formation, and 

 whilst that province was still united to Germany ; that, on 

 the contrary, those which at present inhabit the northern 

 portion of Scandinavia, came at a much later period (and 

 subsequent to the land stretching between the Gulf of 

 Bothnia and the White Sea having risen from the deeps), 

 by the way of Finnish Lapland. He has come to this 

 conclusion from fossil remains of the rein-deer having 

 been found in abundance in the alluvial peat-bogs of 

 Scania ; whereas in the whole of the line of country 



