88 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



lately, were very bad, at least to me. They stabbed my 

 legs right through my thick stockings, and each bite 

 swells up, sometimes as big as a nut. My legs are posi- 

 tively painful with these hard red swellings, which last 

 for two or three days. The swelling is visible through 

 the stockings.* 



July 8. 



Saturday, the 8th of July, was one of heavy rain. We 

 were up at six o'clock and had a most uncomfortable wash 

 in the burn. Washing in a waterproof sounds somewhat 

 strange, but the rain and wind were miserably cold. 



We skinned birds the Great Snipe and Bluethroat 

 and when the weather cleared a little we started for the 

 lake Kvoevlin Vand but the rain came on again and it 

 poured all day and night. 



We drove a hard bargain with an old girl at a Soeter 

 for a nest of six Teal eggs. She wanted three skillings 

 apiece for them, but we would only give her two. She 

 was as like an old Lapp Ole said as she could stare. 



We found the boat was of no use. We saw lots of 

 Ducks flying about the islands, and one bird, which we 

 could not make out through the mist and rain, had a nest 

 on a point on the big island. We believed it to be a 

 Goose. We saw it stand up first, and then gradually 

 settle down till its head disappeared. Nothing for it but 

 to return again when the people are here with the boats. 

 They come to-night and return on Monday. 



We shot two more Black-headed Wagtails, and Ole 

 fished for a time in the river. He caught one nice Trout 

 of f Ibs., rising several more. 



We got back to the Soeter, and changed to the skin, 

 which was done under difficulties not experienced at 



* This thorough inoculation served me well in after-years. I 

 scarcely ever got swellings again from their bites (H.B., 1902). 



