Birds. 3083 



Notes on Observations in Natural History during a Tour in Norway. 

 By the Rev. Alfred Charles Smith, M.A. 



(Continued from page 3044). 



The Black Guillemot (Uria grylle) . I had been wandering about 

 from point to point of the splendid Sogne Fjord, and after a fortnight's 

 excursion amidst its beauties, was returning to Lairdalsoren, where 

 we had left our carrioles and ponies. I generally sat or rather re- 

 clined on a heap of boughs, after Norwegian custom, at the head of 

 the boat, with my double-barrelled gun in my hand, ready for any 

 strange fowl. As we came over this fjord on leaving Lairdalsoren, 

 the rough weather prevented my using my gun : at times our six oars 

 could hardly make any way ; at other times, as we shifted our course, 

 and our men could make the wind at all available, up went the sail, 

 and we scudded along at a great pace, not without some danger, 

 owing to the sudden gusts which would almost lay the boat on her 

 side, while she was half filled with water : our men shouting and 

 singing and roaring with delight, when, on coming opposite a fresh 

 gully, a stronger gust than before would catch our sail and drench us 

 to the skin : however, notwithstanding their merriment at the wind, 

 they always took care to hold the sail in their hands, and never to tie 

 it down ; in order that they might instantly let it go when the gust 

 came : as, had we been capsized, we should have had but little chance, 

 the rocks rising up so perpendicularly from the fjord, as to afford no 

 ledge for landing, not even an inch of projecting rock to seize hold of. 

 But the day of our return was very different ; not a breath of air to 

 create a ripple on the water, and our poor boatmen obliged to toil at 

 their oars for eight hours under a burning sun. It was on rounding a 

 point which disclosed fresh beauties in this glorious fjord, that we 

 came within shot of the black guillemot : he gave a great deal of sport, 

 but a great waste of powder and shot, which are valuable commodi- 

 ties in Norway, as there are very few places where the former can be 

 obtained fine enough to suit an English nipple, and all the shot comes 

 from England. However, to proceed with the guillemot : the first 

 shot wounded him, but so little, that though he could not fly, he 

 could dive (which he did the instant he saw the flash of the gun), and 

 when he came up again, after about two minutes, he was generally out 

 of shot. However, by watching the ripple as he went under, we 

 could generally see the direction he had taken, and by hard pulling 



