40 Angling Travels in Norway. 



asking, for the salmon-fisher, except for an odd day or so, 

 has little time or inclination to leave his river in quest of 

 smaller game ; thus the lakes are seldom fished by others 

 than those who go out for that especial purpose. The 

 borders of these lakes, and the islands they contain, are 

 favourite resorts of wild-fowl during the breeding season, 

 and it is more than probable that a systematic exploration 

 of these little-frequented inland waters would lead to 

 valuable ornithological discoveries. 



An ornithological expedition with the object of dis- 

 covery of the breeding haunts of wild-fowl could scarcely 

 be combined with an angling tour, for at the nesting-time 

 the fjelds are rotten with half -melted snow, and the 

 scaly inhabitants of the lakes are yet in such poor condition 

 that they offer no attraction to the angler. 



. The fjeld-lakes are scarcely free from ice until the 

 end of May, and except in a few forward districts, are 

 not worth the angler's attention until well into July ; 

 indeed, speaking generally, August is the best month. 



Some lakes are simply land-locked basins, others of 

 larger dimensions are fed and relieved by rivers draining 

 considerable tracts of country, and a third description has 

 centuries ago been formed by some huge landslip which 

 has fallen down, and, by blocking up the passage of a river, 

 has created a semi-artificial lake. In the latter description 

 of lake, the overflow may be precipitated over heights not 



