232 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



summer. It is considered by our naturalists that, 

 besides this fell lemming, there is another species 

 here, the Lemmus scMsticolor (Leljeborg), " skogs 

 lemmel," or wood lemming. This is smaller than 

 the last, the colour is more grey, and the spot on 

 the back rusty yellow instead of black. This 

 smaller species was discovered by Prof. Lelljeborg, 

 in the forest near Gullrandsdalen, in Norway, but I 

 cannot say that I ever identified it up at Quickiock; 

 but really, the lemmings which we killed, varied so 

 much in size and colour, that without a careful ex- 

 amination a new species might be easily overlooked. 

 The teeth of the lemming resemble those of the 

 beaver and dormouse, and they are therefore her- 

 bivorous, living on leaves, grass, small branches, 

 moss, roots, etc. In the winter they do not lie up 

 in a trance, but dig runs under the snow, and, 

 unlike the little dormouse, lay up no store of 

 winter food. Respecting their uncertain migra- 

 tions from one tract to another, of which I had 

 read so many marvellous accounts, I will proceed 

 to describe exactly what I saw, and I think the 

 reader will agree with me that there is nothing 

 more wonderful in these irregular migrations than 

 in the more certain migrations of the waxwing, 

 mealy redpole, brambling, and others of our birds 

 of passage. About the end of April, just as the 

 snow was beginning to melt, I was walking by the 



