ii8 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



of size. 1 Its general appearance bears a strong resem- 

 blance to the common father-lasher of our own coasts. 



' The sailors told us how a lieutenant in former years 

 had sent a maiden here to keep his flocks in summer. 

 Stormy weather and other hindrances occurring, after 

 some time she had nothing left to eat, and was obliged to 

 live upon grass and raw goat's flesh, as she could make 

 no fire. In this great distress she remained until a ship- 

 master anchoring here delivered her from Bl&kulla.' 2 



Linnseus gives a lengthy list of the rich Flora of 

 the island, including the Linncea borealis. 



6 From Bl&kulla we returned late in the evening, 

 the wind and high waves hastening our journey. 

 Bl&kulla lay between our little vessel and the sun, its 

 precipices looming grandly above the troubled billows. 

 At half-past ten we landed, and proceeded at once to 

 Gaxa, on the other side of the island, to see about our 

 passage across to Gothland.' 



As Linnaeus does not sail up this western coast of 

 Oland, I will just say what it looked like as I passed by. 

 The whole lowland of the peninsula by Borgholm is clothed 

 in budding oak woods ; the castle looks a stately ruin 

 from the sea, sailing northward. A white church peeps 

 out beyond the cape, and then one watches for a long 

 while the long low coastline of Oland. The sight of 



1 Coitus quadricornis, four-horned bullhead, a sort of fish ten or 

 twelve inches long. 



2 H. Marryait, who also relates this tale, with thrilling sensa- 

 tional touches, says the hapless maiden went mad. This 

 probable. 



