The A U T H O R's PREFACE. xvii 



mory, and I have fince acquired by fubfequent obfervations. I 

 had before published two little pieces, one in Holland, de caufa 

 et origine ventorum, the other at Hall in Saxony, of the North- 

 light. I can ftill amufe myfelf, with the entertainment I receive 

 in my leifure hours, from books of Mathematics, and natural phi- 

 lofopy." So far M. Spidberg. 



It is therefore a melancholy consideration, that fo few having 

 made any advances towards a natural hiftory of Norway, their 

 collections mould be thus deftroyed; which, from feveral caufes, 

 has been the fate of many excellent writings among us. Con- 

 cerning the neglect of natural hiftory, or the great fcarcity of 

 fuch writings in the northern countries, the learned Mutter, in 

 his Iiagoge ad Hift. Cherfonef. Ambricaa, cap. xi. p. 10. thus 

 expreffes himfelf : " Hiftoria; chorographicas cognata eft naturalis, 

 qua? licet infinita rerum ^u^i TW varietate in regionibus hifce 

 luxuriet, et curioforum calamos atque ingenia provocet, pauci ta- 

 men hadrenus partem illius aliquam illuftrandam fibj fumpfe- 

 runt." This likewife is the complaint of Dr. Henry Lochftbr, 

 whofe death in the maturity of life, and in the midft of many 

 ufeful defigns, was a public lofs ; in his dnTertation De Medica- 

 mentis Norvegias fufficientibus, p. 20, he fays, « Monendum duxi, 

 haud deeffe Norvegias fontes medicatos, deeffe autem, qui horum 

 vires et principia inquirant folertes naturalium rerum ftudiofos." 

 If we confider the natural caufe of this, it will not appear matter 

 of complaint, tho' the effecl: is fo in a great degree. In a country 

 fo healthy as Norway, a kw phyiicians will fuffice, and confe- 

 quently, there are kw who devote themfelves to phyfical re- 

 fe arches. 



From thefe feveral circumftances it will be eafy to conclude, 

 that I had not a multiplicity of fources from whence to draw 

 many choice materials. The difcoveries which I have been able 

 myfelf to make, either by my own experience, or enquiries, or 

 experiments, have fumiftied my principal aids. My annual vifi- 

 tations, as has been intimated before, gave me the beft opportu- 



Part i. ^ . . 



c ruties, 



