3258 Insects, 



1200 miles, I brought (together with my carriole) to England, and 

 which now luxuriates in this more genial climate, and in lieu of the 

 chopped straw, dried fish and leaves, with which in winter the Nor- 

 wegian peasant ekes out his scanty supply of provender for his cattle, 

 Finkel enjoys good hay and corn ; and now reposes himself in a bed 

 of straw, whereas hitherto he was only used to the hard boards of a 

 Norwegian stable. Let not any one from this account think that the 

 Norwegian is careless of the comfort of his horse : on the contrary, he 

 loves him and pets him as the Irishman does his pig ; and never once 

 did I see a poney ill-used in Norway, and as the natural consequence 

 of this kind treatment, never once did I see a vicious horse, and on 

 no one occasion did I ever see a horse kick or bite. They will follow 

 their masters like dogs, and so little are they sensible of fear, that they 

 will walk into the house, and I doubt not up-stairs, if necessary. They 

 never shy, and I never, in the whole course of my journey in Norway, 

 saw a horse driven with winkers over his eyes; indeed I think FinkeVs 

 patience would be sorely tried, were he to find his eyes covered in ; 

 for though so gentle and obedient, he is by no means sluggish or slow, 

 but will trot up and down the steepest hills in splendid style, and ne- 

 ver requires the whip. 



This second digression about my good horse Finkel, will prepare 

 the way for me to say something of the forest-flies, which at times tor- 

 ment man and beast beyond endurance. So tormenting were the flies 

 to my poor horse, that after whisking about his long tail almost inces- 

 santly, and constantly getting the rope reins entangled in the most 

 awkward manner, a consequence quite impossible to be avoided by a 

 driver in a recumbent posture, when I stopped the carriole to re-ar- 

 range the reins, the soft sand in the road proved a temptation to poor 

 Finkel which he could not resist : and regardless of the carriole and 

 harness ; regardless of my wrath when standing close by ; forgetful of 

 his high peaked collar, which stood far above his hogged mane ; for- 

 getful of his elegant brass pad, and careless of the long shafts of the 

 carriole ; down he would go deliberately into the sand, and roll him- 

 self about from side to side : and all my shouts and thumps and tugs 

 at his head proved quite unavailing to prevent him from carrying out 

 his intention, or to make him get up and resume his journey, until he 

 had rolled to his heart's content, and relieved himself from that mad- 

 dening itching caused by the abominable forest-flies. I may add, that 

 as he never injured himself, or his harness, or the carriole, by these 

 rolls, and as he seemed to enjoy them so much, and as I could not 



