82 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



July 5. 



On Wednesday, the 5th of July a fine day, very warm 

 in the forenoon our Soeter life began. We started about 

 a quarter or half -past seven with Ole Lysne, Trond Thune 

 (a small boy), and the horse, which was equipped with a 

 pack-saddle and a pair of huge panniers, over which our 

 luggage was piled in a most imposing form. Our desti- 

 nation was the Soeter belonging to Neils Thune (M.P., as 

 we call him ; member of the Storthing) , about fourteen 

 miles across the fields and valleys. 



After the first three miles through an extensive birch- 

 wood, in which four Bears are said to be lurking, we 

 arrived at a Soeter prettily situated at the side of a con- 

 siderable-sized lake Helin in Hellestrand. Upon this 

 lake we saw two or three Scoters, and once, two males 

 swimming together. 



We now ascended, accompanied by a herd of cows and 

 calves, which were being taken up to the Sceters, over a 

 low field, then down on the other side to another Soeter in 

 Smaadal. This was about ten miles. Here we saw a 

 Field Orn and lots of Golden Plover, of which Ole shot 

 one for the pot. Here also we lunched on biscuits and 

 the remains of a bottle of claret and water, rested the 

 horse, and then went on. 



We passed several Soetersmost of which, however, were 

 not yet inhabited. At one an inhabited one we saw a 

 flock of goats, two of which had very fine horns. The 

 hills were very fine in form, one with a remarkable 

 pinnacle of rock, and we noted that the birch- wood was 

 gradually increasing. 



We saw a Bluethroat amongst the willow and dwarf 

 birch and juniper, which sort of vegetation extends all 

 along our route to-day after we left the birch-woods, 

 except just on the top of the Fjeld. Golden Plover are 

 decidedly more plentiful here than on the Fillefjeld. 



