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



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

 had before publifhed 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 confideration, 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 Scarcity of 

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

 his Ifagoge ad Hift. Cherfonef. Ambricae, cap. xi. p. 10. thus 

 expreffes himfelf : " Hiflorias chorographicae cognata eft naturalis, 

 quae licet infinita rerum d^oUv^drm varietate in regionibus hifce 

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

 men hactenus partem illius aliquam illuftrandam fibi fumpfe- 

 runt." This like wife is the complaint of Dr. Henry Lochftor, 

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

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

 mentis Norvegiae fufficientibus, p. 20, he fays, " Monendum duxi, 

 haud deeffe Norvegiae 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 effect is fo in a great degree. In a country 

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

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

 fearches. 



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 abls 

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

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

 tations, as has been intimated before, gave me the belt ppportu- ' 



Part I, P 



