HINTS TO SPORTSMEN, ETC., IN LAPLAND. 145 



Black game is not nearly so abundant in any part of 

 Lapland as further south, and appears to be very 

 local for at Quickiock we rarely saw a blackcock, 

 while at lockmock, eighty miles south, they are 

 very plentiful. Every fell literally swarms with 

 ptarmigan, dotterel, golden plover, and mountain 

 hare. A curious feature in the habits of the game 

 birds up here, is their uncertain migrations from one 

 tract to another. I don't know whether the ptar- 

 migan and willow grouse wander much ; this 

 particularly applies to the capercailzie, and black 

 grouse. 



For flapper-shooting in July, Lapland would 

 be hard to beat, for half the lowlands consist of 

 rivers, rushy swamps, and inland lakes ; and this 

 country is the great breeding resort of half the 

 wild-fowl in Europe. The common wild duck is 

 rare in Lapland, but scoter, velvet duck, scaup, 

 golden eye, pintail, and widgeon, wild swan, bean, 

 and white-fronted geese, flock in hundreds, as 

 soon as the ice breaks up, to these northern waters, 

 where they can breed in undisturbed security far 

 away from the haunts of man. 



Although Lapland itself may lie almost beyond 

 his range, the day may not be so very far distant 

 when the English grouse-shooter will have to turn 

 his attention to the Swedish and Norwegian fells, 

 where shooting is to be had for the asking, and 



