NATURAL HISTORY ®i NORTVAY. 285 



means they difcovered when they were near any land; for it is 

 laid, the raven always turns itfelf towards the neareft land *. 



In the laft place, I fhall obferve, that huntiug, mooting, and Hunting and 

 bird-catching, afford fome of the inhabitants of Norway, a com- ng " 

 fortable livelihood, for every body is at liberty to purfue the 

 game, efpecially in the mountains, and on the heaths and com- 

 mons, where every peafant may make ufe of what arms he pleafes, 

 without controll. They are allowed not only to defbroy the 

 hurtful beafts, fuch as bears, goupes, wolves, foxes, vielfras, 

 badgers, wild -cats, martens, ermines, &c. the fkins of which 

 alone, reward them well for their trouble ; but alfo the inoffen- 

 sive creatures, fuch as the elk-deer, the rein-deer, harts, and 

 hares ; and alfo growfe, mountain-cocks, francolins, partridges, 

 &c. which are carried to market in the winter in great quantities 

 in fledges. The beft markfmen live in the mountains, and Hill 

 in fome places, ufe bows, as they did in ancient times, efpecially 

 to kill thofe creatures, whofe fkins are valuable, for they are not 

 damaged by the flat-arrows. But they chiefly make ufe of fire- 

 arms, and the country-fellows can fhoot pretty exactly at a great 

 diftance, which qualifies them in time of war, to lie in defiles 

 and to annoy the enemy gready. In ancient times, hunting and 

 fhooting, were the Norwegians chief fupport, which may be con- 

 cluded by this particular, they paid their taxes in many places in 

 hides and fkins, which gave rife to thofe words that are frill in 

 ufe in the Norwegian matrikul. In the fragment publifhed by 

 John Spelman, which is fuppofed to be eight hundred years old, 

 called Pariplus Otheri, it is there iiluftrated in § 7, " Unufquifque 

 reddit fecundum facultates fuas ; ditiflimus communiter reddit 

 quindecim martium pelles, cervorum rangiferorum quinque, urfi 

 unam, ac decern modios plumarum, cum tunica e pellibus urfinis 

 et lutrinis, atque duobus mfiiper funibus nauticis, quorum uter- 

 que fit fexaginta ulnaslongus, alter e bakenarum, e phocarum alter 



* In this fenfe, we fhould not look upon this as a fuperftitious prognostication by 

 the flight of birds, as fome do. " Si autem exorta tempeitate navis ia altum coge- 

 retur, incertique enent quorfum iter capiendum, aves emittebant, ex quarum voiatu 

 de itinere judicium ferebant, eafque fequebantur. Exemplum eft in Landnama Saga 

 & Edda, mythol. fab. 34. conf. Jon. Rami UlyfTes & Othinus unus & idem, cap. ii. 

 p. 71. quod alii ruditati populi tribuunt, ad auguria tamen re&ius refert." Bartho- 

 lin in antiquitat. Dan. lib. ii. cap. ix. p. 476. Joh. Chriftoph. ClefFelius in antiquitat. 

 Germanor. feptentrional. 1. 10, § 4. p. %$g. 



Part II, 4 D corio 



