ON THE MAMMALIA OF THIS DISTRICT. 175 



ferring to Lapland, may not be deemed out of 



place here : 



THE ELK SKALL. 



" Tell that if he does not come soon, 



the elk and trout season will all be over." Such 

 was the message I received from a friend when I 

 came down from the fells in the middle of Octo- 

 ber, 1861. As I knew there was no time to lose, 

 for the elk season closes here on the 1st of No- 

 vember, I proceeded without delay to get my 

 tackle together, and, two days after, with a 

 peasant for my guide and baggage- carrier, I set 

 off, in anticipation of a pleasant and interesting 

 visit, in which hope I was not disappointed. The 

 invitation came from a friend, about twenty-five 

 miles north of us, a thorough sportsman, and the 

 owner of an immense tract of forest land, which 

 (for Sweden) was tolerably well stocked with 

 game. He has of late years been strictly pre- 

 serving the elk in his woods ; and, at a rough 

 guess, I should say his herds now number some 

 twenty or thirty head of deer. There is excellent 

 trout-fishing in the little mountain streams, which 

 intersect his forests in all directions; and two 

 lakes, situate on the top of the highest mountains, 

 are filled with charr (Sal. alpinus) probably the 

 southern limit of this fish in Sweden. I never yet 

 had the good luck to kill elk, and the charr was 



