88 Scottish and Skandinavian Floras. By Dr Stuart. 



mences to roll over the mountain side it is 2500 ; with a noise of 

 thunder it falls, sending up a smoke like out of some mighty 

 caldron. The Vorein foss was only discovered in 1826, and is 

 considered one of the finest falls in Norway. Walking with 

 some difficulty to where it reached the great pool, into which it 

 fell — a more sublime spectacle no man ever saw. No words can 

 picture the grandeur of the scene. The sun did not shine, and a 

 subdued light brooded over the dark mass, which forms the wall 

 of the mountain. The water churned into foam fell like the 

 folds of a bridal veil, hanging as it were in mid-air as if 

 reluctant to come down ; the whiteness of the vast mass of water 

 being very striking. Its roar was like thunder. The whole 

 upper part of the valley was filled with vapour, which came down 

 on us like a small rain ; the temperature causing a chill which it 

 took some time to recover from. The walk down the pass proved 

 a long business, but at length the lake was reached ; but owing 

 to the size of our boat and a high head wind, most of us got a 

 good drenching in getting into it, as the bow was a-ground. 

 Owing to this we had a long pull to the Vik end of the lake, as 

 the dynamite blasters warned us off their shore in case of 

 accident ; their operations going on all the time we were on the 

 water. A brisk walk of two miles put our blood again in cir- 

 culation, and after a thorough change we were soon seated at the 

 dinner table. Our fishers had got a plentiful supply of " Laxa," 

 the Norse name given to all fish of the salmon kind, and which 

 appears, with more to follow, at eveiy meal. Our excursion was 

 a very successful one, and the weather was fine throughout — 

 time about ten hours. 



On Tuesday the 16th August, at an early hour, we got into 

 two skiffs waiting for us at the quay in front of the hotel, and 

 after an hour's row reached Saed at the entrance to the Scemidal 

 pass. The water of the fiord was like glass ; the morning rather 

 threatening, although we escaped rain of any consequence all 

 day. The fiist three miles of our land journey was over a well- 

 made road through meadows, where the haymakers were busy, 

 to some little farms, where they had fine ponies and carrioles, 

 which they offered in returning to convey us to our boats. In 

 passing along, Prof. Traill of Aberdeen picked a beautiful 

 double form of Silme rupestris, which I hope he has got to grow. 

 A two hours' walk brought us to a most romantic part of the 

 pass, where the bkidjefoss comes tearing over the edge of a 





