LAPLAND. 



591 



t.tpland. that season. Among these are observed the eagle and 

 ' falcon tribe, some of which are entirely white ; owls, 

 one species of which is of a large size and whitish co- 

 lour ; crows in prodigious numbers, which become ex- 

 tremely tame during winter ; ravens, which are fre- 

 quently so bold and voracious as to seize the fish hung 

 up to dry, and to pluck out the eyes of the sheep ; par- 

 tridges, which become white in winter ; large bustards, 

 about the size of a full grown turkey ; magpies, pigeons, 

 plovers, thrushes, wood-cocks, snipes, snow-birds, gold- 

 finches.cukoos, water- wagtails, ruff and reeves, swallows, 

 wheat-ears, buntings, black-grous, ptarmigans, swans, 

 wild geese, eidtr ducks, cranes, gulls, goosanders, ra- 

 sor-bills, little eared grebes, pelicans, cormorants, &c. 

 Ffrh The only amphibious animals are the common frogs, 



and lizards. The rivers abound in excellent salmon ; 

 and the lakes in pike, perch, trout, eels, and charr. 

 Whales appear upon the coasts in astonishing numbers, 

 especially about Candlemas ; and the sword- ti^h, shark, 

 and porpoise, arc sufficiently common. Holibut, skate, 

 tarbot, and flounders are taken in vast quantities in the 

 northern ocean ; and, when dried, are exported to the 

 neighbouring countries in the north of Europe. Cod, 

 tusk, and ling are found on the coasts of Lapland 

 during the whole year ; and herrings appear in im- 

 mense ihoals ; but from want of nets these last are 

 taken only in small quantities, and used chiefly as bait 

 for other fish. The seas around Lapland furnish also 

 sturgeon, lamprey, soles, seg, grayling, gwiniard, lob- 

 stem, crabs, prawns, Sec. 



;.-... The insects of Lapland are more numerous than had 



long been suspected by naturalists ; and have been 

 particularly described by Dr. Qucnzel. The most cu- 

 rious and unaccountable circumstance noticed by this 

 traveller i, that phahnur, which in other countries ap- 

 pear only towards evening, and during the night time, 

 Bow an entirely opposite course in Lapland, flying 

 about during the day, and disappearing when the sun 

 is near the horizon. No venomous animal whatever is 

 found in the whole country of Lapland. 



X.-. >>. The natives of Lapland are wholly ignorant of their 



origin as a people ; but there can be little doubt of 

 their having !>eeii the first inhabitants of the country 

 which they now occupy. Their descent has been de- 

 ducrd by some authors from the Scythians, and by 

 other* from the ancient Hebrews; but the most pro- 

 baMe opinion i, that their more immediate ancestors 

 were the ancient Finns. The description at least of 

 the Finn! by Ptolemy and Tacitus, is strikingly appli- 

 cable to the mountain Laplanders of the present day. 

 They are supposed to have been the people designated 

 ! IcroHotus, under the epithets, Cynocephnli, Trog- 

 <e, and Pigmies. They disclaim the appellation 

 which is understood to be a term of re- 

 proach, and to h.ive been given to them by the Swedes 

 upon the first sut jugation n the country ; but etymo- 

 logists are not agreed nlx>nt its precise import and de- 

 rivation. It is deduced by some from the Lit in lipjiu r, 

 blear-eyed ; by others from the Swedish lappa, a patch 

 in reference to their garment ; as some interpret the 

 word, a bat, denoting their ugliness ; and by others 

 from the Finnish lapti, < \ilw or runaways, supposing 

 i to have migrated, or to have been banished from 



Finland.* The Lapland language is represented as 

 having a considerable analogy to that of the Finns, and 

 as distinguished by certain peculiarities, resembling 

 the idiom of the Hebrew. It is described as possess- 

 ing an elegant brevity, expressing by one word what 

 in most languages would require several. It abounds 

 in diminutives, but is barren in proverbs. It may be 

 noticed as one of its singularities, that the names of 

 fluids, metals, minerals, grain, herbs, and fruits are all 

 expressed only in the plural number. 

 The names of the first ten numerals are, 



Auft . 

 Gouft 

 Golm 

 Nielja 

 Vit . 



Gut . . 



Zhieczhia 

 Kautze . 

 Autze 

 Laagc . 



6 



7 



S 



9 



10 



The conversion of the Laplanders to Christianity 

 cannot be dated much earlier than the middle of the 

 1 7th century ; and it is still so very imperfect as to con- 

 sist in little more than their receiving baptism, bearing 

 ( hristian names, and attending, in a manner by com- 

 pulsion, on a few festivals of the church. They are 

 said to have still retained their ancient religion almost 

 unmixed with.any of those additions, which half-con- 

 verted nations generally make from Christianity. They, 

 in g'-neral, acknowledge the king of Sweden as their 

 lawful sovereign ; and conform to the Swedish courts 

 of judicature established in different parts of their coun- 

 try. A small number are tributary to Denmark and 

 Russia. They are not a numerous people ; and are 

 calculated not to exceed 60,000, scattered over an ex- 

 tent of 150,000 square miles. Even of this number, Baron 

 Von Buch considers, that one-sixth part only is com- 

 posed of the real Laplanders, and that the rest are pro- 

 perly Finnish colonists, by whose gradual influx the 

 population of Swedish Lapland is said to have doubled, 

 in the course of thirty years. The Laplanders have 

 a swarthy complexion, black short hair, a wide mouth, 

 hollow cheeks, and a chin somewhat long and pointed. 

 Their eyes are weak and watery, in consequence, it is 

 supposed, of their smoky habitations, or the driving 

 and glaring snows of winter, which often have the effect 

 of depriving the natives of sight for several days after re- 

 turning from a hunting excursion. They possess great 

 strength of body, and are capable of undergoing extraor- 

 dinary degrees of labour. They are not less remarkable 

 for swiftness of foot and bodily agility ; and are inured 

 from their infancy to every kind of activity and exer- 

 tion. They are rather of diminutive stature, a circum- 

 stance which has generally been ascribed to the seve- 

 rity of their climate, and the scantiness of their diet. 

 Their slouching gait and want of artificial heels, give 

 them, however, the appearance of being lower than 

 they are in reality ; and, as the boys have often the air 

 of maturer years, and are employed in driving the 

 sledges, it is not unlikely that they may have been 

 mistaken by many travellers for men. The smallest 

 person observed among them by Maupertuis, was a 

 well proportioned woman, who measured four feet, 

 two inches, and five lines ; and Hogsbrbm frequently 

 met with natives of the different provinces, whose 

 height was between five and six feet. Even their 

 swarthy complexion is more the effect of the smoke 



Th Lnbnikn. Sanoycdo, Esquimaux, and (ireenlanden, ill found in the tame northern latitude, appear to have been originally 

 ite HOC people. The I^apbaden are wppoaed to hare dacended from the White Sea towards Norway and Sweden, while the Finns, on 



in* cxhr hand, aMended from Kthonia through Finland. 

 hare pMtnud into the country, an toxmrfmtfd Quant. 



In the north of Norway, the Inlanders are called Finns; and the Finns who 



