152 SPORT IN NORWAY. 



more questionable ; but in my humble opinion I think 

 both elk and hjerpe would thrive admirably in com- 

 pany. Indeed, some twenty or thirty years ago, per- 

 haps more, a herd of tame reindeer was sent over to 

 Scotland. A Norwegian friend of mine told me he 

 remembered seeing them being driven through the 

 streets of Christiania previous to embarkation. The 

 experiment did not succeed.* 



I have more than once alluded to the superstitions 

 that are so prevalent amongst the Norwegian peasantry. 

 In Mr. Asbjornsen's celebrated " Huldre Eventyr," a 

 fair idea may be formed of the queer tales and odd 

 things they believe in. I was asked by the talented 

 author of this book to translate it into English, but 

 a glance over its contents and style at once showed me 

 that it was beyond my capabilities to render the slang 

 expressions into anything like idiomatic English ; and 

 at the same time to preserve the character of the work. 

 And even by the very best translation possible, this 



* Lately, through the exertions of Professor Easch and of other 

 gentlemen interested in the acclimatization of animals, &c., a few 

 young chamois from the alps of Bavaria have been introduced into 

 tho country. They are to be kept in an enclosed space for the first 

 winter, and will be turned out in the neighbourhood of Gausta 

 Fjeld, Thelemarken, next spring. This locality, which, though 

 much colder than many other parts, yet being remote from the sea, 

 the air from which is said to have an injurious effect upon these 

 animals, has been selected as the scene of operations. I hear that 

 they are doing well, and that there is every prospect of the ultimate 

 success of the project. 



