156 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



< WESTBOTHLAND. 



' The ground here is tolerably level ; the soil sand, 

 or sometimes clay. In some places are large tracts of 

 moss. Thus the country is by no means fertile, though 

 it affords a good deal of milk. Barley is the chief grain 

 raised here. No flowers were to be seen here not even 

 the wood sorrel, my only consolation in Angermanland. 

 The two sorts of cotton-rush were now coming into 

 bloom. The dwarf birch was abundant enough, but as 

 yet showed no signs of catkins or leaves. Throughout 

 the whole of this country no ash, maple, lime, elm, nor 

 willow is to be seen, much less hazel, oak, or beech. 

 Towards evening I reached Roback, where I passed the 

 night. 



f May 24. Close to Roback is a fine spacious mea- 

 dow, which would be quite level were it not for the 

 hundreds of ant-hills scattered near it. Near the road, 

 and very near the rivulet that takes its course towards 

 the town of UmeS, are some mineral springs, abound- 

 ing with ochre, and covered with a silvery pellicle. I 

 conceive that Roback may have obtained its name from 

 this red sediment from roc?, red, and back, a rivulet.' ! 



Carl was ferried over to UmeS 2 by a l brawny bald 

 grey-headed, grey-coated Charon,' just such as Eudbeck 

 had described to him. 



1 Not a difficult guess. 



2 Umea,' a little dirty old town, with a remarkably fine white 

 church, and the largest prison I have seen in the North. WHEEL- 

 WRIGHT. 



