78G The Zoologist — June, 18G7. 



The promiscuous and bizarre anathemas which hailed on the offender, 

 the rifle and the whole herd were calculated to make pious ears gape 

 aghast, and even hardened organs quiver amazed. On sped the 

 affrighted herd — past Kjamhullet — under Knudshultinden — on, on, 

 while we watched the diminishing black specks over more than ten 

 miles of snow, such is the transparency of this elevated atmosphere. 

 As I gazed in bitter regret the voice of Anders summoned us to follow. 

 " They have gone up Leirungsbraen," he said, " and they can never 

 get out of that glacier :" so we started in pursuit, no facilis decensus 

 was ours, and we sighed vainly for " skji " or snow-shoes, or more 

 correctly snow-skates, which would have abridged our time and labour 

 considerably, and but for the exciting sport the immensity of these con- 

 eave snow-fjelds would have been almost overwhelming. At length 

 we reached the glacier of Leirungsbraen, struggled over the lateral 

 crevasses, threaded the subsequent parallel fissures, till at last, enclosed 

 in the highest corner and huddled under an impassable wall of ice like 

 that of the Strahek, stood the whole herd of deer ; their knees and ankles 

 (or rather their wrists and fingers) emitted a quick succession of sharp 

 electric cracks as they stamped in mingled rage and panic, forming 

 altogether a scene not easily forgotten. I much doubt if what followed 

 was sport, though I knew it was " ren's jagt," in the full Norsk accepta- 

 tion of the term — three volleys hailed on the devoted herd, after which 

 they charged back on us iu despair, and fled down the glacier and 

 away many a league to some more secure retreat. Seven fell to our 

 fire, but three struggled till they fell into the numerous crevasses : 

 these we left for the present, and disposed of the others as best we 

 could against the certain attacks of the invisible glutton, which scents 

 slaughter from afar, like the vulture, and whose craft in eluding capture 

 is well described by Lord Milton, in writing of the wolverine : so crafty 

 indeed is this creature that the three dollars reward for his capture 

 offered by the " Ting " seldom finds a claimant. 



It was now late, and we had twenty miles to walk. The silver thread 

 of the Skjoan River far below us wound in devious curves through the 

 purple fjeld till it was lost among the blue hills of the lower country ; 

 above, the sun still shone in rosy splendour on the silent peaks : per- 

 fect stillness reigned around us, and death was at our feet. Man is not 

 only a beast of prey, and even "ren's jagt" leaves moments of com- 

 punction. It is an unphilosophical reason, but I think the game is too 

 large, and in this case at least too defenceless. Be this as it may, 



