64 ÅNGERMANLAND. 



by the taste too astringent to be whole- 

 some. It is situated near the coast to the 

 west, on the south of the church, and at 

 no great distance from it. 



I observed on the adjacent shore that an 

 additional quantity of sand is thrown up 

 every year by the sea, which thus makes a 

 rampart against its own encroachments, 

 continually adding by little and little to 

 the continent. 



A mile, or rather more, from the land, is 

 an island named Bonden, where the bird 

 called Tordmule {A lea Tor da) lays its 

 eggs every year. These are collected every 

 season by the peasants, who assured me 

 that the bird never lays above one egg in 

 a year, except that egg be taken away, 

 and then she will repeatedly lay more. It 

 seems to me a very curious circumstance, 

 and scarcely possible, that the increase of 

 the species every year should be naturally 

 not more than one. Some persons indeed 

 told me these birds laid two eggs. It is 

 certain that the size of the egg is very large 



