188 FORESTRY UF NORWAY, 
rous. Some of them being fifteen feet long, the effect was 
very striking. This red snow is always fuund in the large 
melting patches, and its colour is due chiefly to the pres- 
ence of minute vegetable organisms, enclosing an oily-like 
red liquid, this alga is known as Haematococeus—Protococ- 
cus nivalis. We then passed on the border of Vasdalseggen, 
where the mountains, largely covered with snow, range in 
the direction of north north-west. After we had traversed 
this plateau for about three hours it slopped downwards to 
the east, and a toilsome tramp through wet snow brought 
Lake Bjoerne into view. On its shores I saw cattle graz- 
ing, and not far off the smoke curling from a solitary pige 
saeter—girl saeter, in this mountain home of the wild rein- 
deer. 
‘Every year, towards the latter part of June, from. the 
Hardanger fiord, or from Roeldal, a farmer, accompanied 
by two girls, with a drove of milch cows crosses these 
mountains. During the summer the girls are left to take 
care of the cattle, and to attend to the diary. 
‘It was late in the day when we arrived at this lonely 
place ; the girls came out to see who the strangers were, 
suddenly disappearing at our approach, to put on their 
best clothes to receive us. They wore the costume of the 
girls at Roeldal, and their caps were set very coquettishly 
on their heads. One had red stockings, the other blue,’ 
M. Du Chaillu goes on to describe the life and occupa- 
tion of the girls, which were similar to those of the first 
saeter visited by him. I have been pleased with what I 
have heard of the chivalrous respect with which the saeter 
girls are treated by young men, their acquaintances, occa- 
sionally visiting them; and with what has been told me 
of young women completely non-plussing young men who 
had presumed to think they might be trifled with with 
impunity. One scene flashes itself .upon my memory: a 
brave maiden raising into threatening position the handle 
of her broom, and, with contempt in look and tone, speaking 
to the cowed bully, much as God spake to Sennacherib, 
