2 FORESTRY OF NORWAY. 



so quiet, so picturesque, by the sea and lakes, by the hills 

 and the mountain sides, by the rivers and in the glades, 

 that one delights to linger among them. Large and small 

 tracts of cultivated land or fruitful glens, and valleys, 

 bounded by woods or rocks, with farm-houses and cottages, 

 around which fair-haired children play, present a striking 

 picture of contentment. Such are the characteristic 

 features of Scandinavia, surrounded almost everywhere by 

 a wild and austere coast. Nature in Norway is far bolder 

 and more majestic than in Sweden; but certain parts of 

 the coast along the Baltic present charming views of rural 

 landscape. 



' From the last days of May to the end of July, in the 

 northern part of this land, the sun shines day and night 

 upon its mountains, fjords, rivers, forests, valleys, towns, 

 villages, hamlets, fields, and farms ; and thus Sweden and 

 Norway may be called " The Land of the Midnight Sun." 

 During this period of continuous daylight the stars are 

 never seen, the moon appears pale, and sheds no light 

 upon the earth. Summer is short, giving just time enough 

 for the wild-flowers to grow, to bloom, and to fade away, 

 and barely time for the husbandman to collect his harvest, 

 which, however, is sometimes nipped by a summer frost. 

 A few weeks after the midnight sun has passed, the hours 

 of sunshine shorten rapidly, and by the middle of August 

 the air becomes chilly and the nights colder, although 

 during the day the sun is warm. Then the grass turns 

 yellow, the leaves change their colour, and wither and 

 fall ; the swallows, and other migrating birds, fly towards 

 the south ; twilight comes once more ; the stars, one by 

 one, make their appearance, shining brightly in the pale 

 blue sky ; the moon shows itself again as the Queen of 

 Night, and lights and cheers the long and dark days of 

 the Scandinavian winter. The time comes at last when 

 the sun disappears entirely from sight ; the heavens appear 

 in a blaze of light and glory, and the stars and the moon 

 pale before the aurora borealis.' 



