VIII 

 BEAR HUNTIXG 



The Eeacler may think that the Last chapter has been 

 poaching on the domaiji of this one, but it will l)e seen that 

 wliile the headings of my chapters relate to the different wild 

 animals, the chapters themselves refer to distinct localities, 

 and i now pass to a region two thousand nulcs to the north 

 of my last described ground. 



Nearl}' every EnglislniiMii who takes a gun to Norway 

 lias a latent expectation of shooting a bear. There is a 

 very old story of one of our countrymen which is calcu- 

 lated to dis^K'l these illusious. It is cun'cnt in a liiiinlrcd 

 forms, but the most fauiiliar \ nsioii is. tliat after Sjiendiug 

 t\vont\' \'ears in tin; sr;ircli fur bears, he liiialK' shot a tame 

 one in the suburl)s of Christiania. There arc iudcctl few 

 Bi'itisli spnvtsmcu who ever sec one in its uativc wilds, 

 still less secure it. That supreme good r.iituiic was 

 liowcviT mine. 



In 1873 I had rented a. red-deer shooting on 1 he sea- 

 ward side of tlie larGfe islnud of lliticrcn. which lies chix' i.i 

 the Norwegian coast, just south of the eiit ranee lo the 

 Thioiidhjeni I'jonh that is to sa}', 1 liajl hired the I'ights 



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