i;8 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINN^US 



my chamber. I was alarmed with the idea of fire, but 

 on looking out of the window saw the sun rising, per- 

 fectly red, which I did not expect would take place so 

 soon. The cock crowed, the birds began to sing, and 

 sleep was banished from my eyelids. Near the new 

 town of PiteS, close to the shore, grew the round- 

 leaved water- violet, 1 with perfectly snow-white flowers. 

 ' June 19. I went out to sea in a boat for some 

 miles ' [Swedish] ' to explore the neighbouring coast and 

 islands, and returned at length to the new town. In the 

 island of Longoen, three miles' [S] 'from Old PiteS, I 

 was lucky enough to find growing under a spruce fir the 

 coral-rooted orchis (Ophrys corallorrhiza) in full bloom. 

 It is a very rare plant. I proceeded to LuleS, being 

 desirous of reaching the alps of Lulean Lapland in time 

 enough to see the midnight sun, which is seen to greater 

 advantage there than at Tornea 3 . The new town of LuleS 

 is very small, situated on a peninsula encompassed by 

 a kind of bay. The soil is barren. Indeed the slight 

 eminence the town stands on is a mere heap of stones, 

 with sea-sand in their interstices. It seems as if the 

 sea had carried away all the earth, and, like a beast of 

 prey, had left nothing but the bones, throwing sand 

 over them to conceal its ravages. As no horse was to 

 be procured in the whole place, I proceeded by sea to 

 Old LuleS, half a mile ' [Swedish] ' distant. Here the 

 curious kind of grass 2 which is called in Sm&land " old 

 man's beard " is known by the name of Lapp-heir , " Lap- 

 1 Viola jjalustris. 2 Nardus strict a. 



