204 HAPPY HUNTING-GEOUNDS 



Norwegian government puts a price on their heads. 

 On subsequent days I often saw a pair of them on the 

 upper lakes, and by remaining absolutely motionless 

 on the bank induced them to come close enough to 

 give me a good view of their brilliant colouring and 

 beautiful laced plumage. 



I saw no other water-fowl. One day two magnifi- 

 cent falcons were soaring round a peak, but not near 

 enough for me clearly to determine their species. We 

 picked up during a ramble the wings of a pipit cut 

 clean from the body, which indicated the work of a 

 merlin, but I never caught sight of that beautiful 

 miniature falcon. Kestrels I saw, but not in great 

 numbers. There were a good many hooded crows, 

 but no magpies, although these birds abound in the 

 valley below. We flushed one or two coveys of ryper, 

 and I have no doubt that if I had been accompanied 

 by a dog I should have -seen many more. One day my 

 companion actually touched an old cock with the end of 

 his rod before he could induce him to fly. There were 

 plenty of fieldfares, and everywhere along the rocks 

 at the margins of the lakes the white wagtail tripped 

 daintily along, tame and fearless, and performed his 

 work of mercy in reducing the number of flies. My 

 son when hunting reindeer in the neighbourhood 

 shortly after my visit frequently came upon the 

 snowy owl at close quarters. 



The only wild quadruped I saw was the blue 

 mountain hare, but I noted tracks of reindeer, fox, and 

 ermine. With luck one might have seen the former, as 

 we were close to their regular haunts, but the scarcity 

 of snow attracted them to higher ground. I believe a 

 cow elk had been seen once or twice in recent years 



