218 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



not twenty yards from the house on my first morning, 

 and was told that there were plenty of them about, and 

 that they nested close at hand. Green woodpeckers 

 abound. Their laugh may be heard all day, and one 

 actually perched on the flagstaff opposite to the 

 drawing-room window, and to the verandah where I 

 was sitting. The great eagle owl nests in the cliff 

 above Haarstad, and the osprey in the rocks over the 

 fjord, where flocks of eiders congregate and mer- 

 gansers pilot their numerous progeny. 



We spent two afternoons sea-fishing on the fjord, 

 and had a picnic tea at Biigten farm, where a little 

 waterfall now discharges into the sea, just at the spot 

 where it is proposed to make the outlet of the contem- 

 plated great power-station. The boats do not cast 

 anchor, but the party fish with hand-lines baited with 

 mussels as they slowly drift. There are plenty offish 

 cod, plaice, flounders, saithe, whiting, haddock and ling 

 but we were not very fortunate on either of the two 

 occasions, although enough were caught for the pot. 

 We saw and pursued a sea-trout of about three-quarters 

 of a pound which was playing on the top of the water, 

 and was apparently unable to get down. After one 

 or two attempts I succeeded in getting him into the 

 landing-net, when we could detect no scar or mark of 

 any injury upon him. The boatmen thought that he 

 was being hunted by some large fish. During our 

 picnic the sky became overcast and there was a slight 

 shower, but as soon as the whole party had enveloped 

 themselves in mackintoshes the sun shone out 

 brightly once more. Changes of weather come very 

 rapidly ; that night at three A.M. a heavy gale sprang 

 up, so wild that it blew in the casement and upset the 



