125 

 On the Dovrefjeld, Norway. By George Bird, Edinburgh. 



Of the hundreds of tourists who visit Norway every summer 

 to explore its valleys and fjords and wonderful rock scenery, 

 and to enjoy the change and rest which these afford, but few 

 comparatively find their way to the Dovrefjeld And yet to the 

 traveller there are not many places where a sojourn of a week 

 or two would so well repay the additional time required to get 

 there. The Dovrei'j eld range comprehends in its area some of the 

 loftiest mountains in Norway, and can be reached in two days 

 from Christiania, or in the same time from Trondhjem. Jour- 

 neying from Christiania, a day in the train will take you to 

 Lille-Elvdal, the point where you leave the railway, and where 

 it is necessary to stay overnight, good accommodation being 

 provided in a clean and comfortable hotel. You afterwards 

 proceed by cariole or other conveyance. The road for a long 

 distance follows the river through a picturesque and wild 

 country, the valley on either side being bounded by mountains, 

 and the scenery generally has a great resemblance to many parts 

 of our own Highlands. One is struck with the immense quantity 

 of white sandy soil in these high regions — indeed it is almost 

 entirely sand in many places ; and sometimes you pass a huge 

 cliff of sand of a greyish colour, of great height, laid bare by 

 the river, and stretching along its margin. The river, at first a 

 broad and majestic stream, gradually narrows until hemmed in 

 by the mountains, becoming more rapid and turbulent, and 

 altering in its character with the changing surroundings. The 

 hillsides and base of the mountains are clothed with birch and 

 Scots fir, the white stems and delicate spreading branches of the 

 former lending that delightful sylvan beauty which is one of the 

 chief charms of our Trossachs scenery. The more robust boles 

 of the firs, firmly fixed on the precipitous slopes and ledges, serve 

 to lend that wild and natural appearance befitting such alpine 

 districts. All around, as far as the eye can reach, mountain 

 summit after summit bounds the horizon. Several of the higher 

 of these — the Sneehatten, 7770 feet, for example — have their 

 ridges and slopes whitened with eternal snow ; and the various 

 effects of cloud and sky fill the mind with a feeling of wonder 

 and rest combined. Our first view of this remarkable scene was 

 on a beautiful summer morning, with the cool wind tempered by 

 a bright sun, the meadows waving with natural grasses, and the 



