6o NATURAL HI S TOR Y of NOR PF A T. 



fome account of the moil Important and dangerous way of bird- 

 catching, which is practifed here more than in any other place, 

 and moftly at Tranen, Varoe, Moskoe, and Rufl, in the abovefaid 

 Nordland diftrich, where they keep dogs trained on purpofe, to- 

 fetch the Shore or Strand-Birds out of their holes, which are 

 almofl inacceffible. In this diftriet one farmer muft not keep a 

 greater number of tbefe dogs than his neighbour, that he may 

 not prejudice him in his livelihood : the dogs as well as the farmers 

 run the greateft hazard of their lives, and fometimes perifh by 

 unhappy falls ; for they either climb up thofe exceffive high and 

 iteep rocks, finding but here and there a hold or place for their 

 feet j or elfe they are let down from the top, ioo fathoms or more, 

 that they may get into the hollows under the projecting cliffs, 

 and caves formed by nature. At Fseroe, which exports annually 

 feveral thoufand pounds worth of feathers to Copenhagen, there 

 is held a Bird-hunt of this kind, which is circumfbntially de- 

 fcribed by Mr. Lucas Debes, who was many years a dean in that 

 country ; and I fhall therefore, out of his Faeroa Referata, p. 140, 

 £c feq. often quoted before, infert what relates thereto, which 

 cannot be read without furprize. 



It is not to be defcribed, he fays, with what trouble and danger 

 they look for the Birds in the high and fteep rocks, many of 

 which are more than aoo fathoms perpendicular ; and there are 

 particular people who, by nature, are fitted for this kind of bird- 

 catching, and are called Bird-men : they make ufe of two methods 

 to catch them ; they either climb up thefe perpendicular rocks> 

 or elfe are let down from the top by a flrong and thick rope : 

 when they climb up they have a large pole, of eleven or twelve 

 ells in length, with an iron hook at the end : they who are 

 underneath in the boat, or (land on a cliff, faften this hook to the 

 waiflband of the man's breeches who climbs, and a rope round his 

 waift; by which means they help him up to the higheft helde, 

 or projection, that he can reach, and fix his feet upon ; then 

 they help another up to the fame place ; and when they are both 

 up, then they give them each their bird-pole in their hands, and 

 a long rope tied round each other's waifl at each end ; then the 

 one climbs up as high as he can, and where it is difficult, the other, 

 by putting his pole under his breech, pufhes him up, till he 

 gets to a good helde, or Handing place : the uppermofl of the 

 two then helps the other up to him with the rope, and fo on, till 

 they get to the place where the Birds build, and there fearch about 

 after them as they pleafe. As there are in thefe rocks many dange- 

 rous places they are yet to climb, whilfl they are bound together 



with 



