126 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY, 



herb, of which I had never heard before, which is to be found in 

 great plenty on the iflands of Northland, and of which the inha- 

 bitants of the continent are faid to fetch away boat-loads, preferv- 

 ing it in tuns for winter proviiion, as a fuccedaneum to cabbage. 



SECT. II. 



I now, purfuant to my promife, proceed to give an account 

 of fome vegetables growing in Norway, which are little, if at all 

 known out of this country, but are chiefly noxious. In the 

 parifh of Vaage in Guldbrandfdale, particularly in the chapelry 

 of Sel, and poffibly in more places *, though unknown to me, 

 grows a very lingular and poifonous root, fometimes longifh and 

 knotty, fometimes rounder, and generally of the thicknefs of a 

 half-crown. The leaves are a fpecies of grafs, refembling fedge, 

 the name of it is Selihape, whether, as fome think it be the wa- 

 ter-parfley of the Germans, or whether Mr. Ramus more juftly 

 ftiles it Afbantia fylveftris aquatica, Mafterwort, I (hall not de- 

 termine, efpecially as the worthy author himfelf fpeaks with dif- 

 fidence, faying; Afbantia forte eadem, quae aliis Selfnape, et 

 forte ad cicutae genus referenda f. Such is the force of its poifon, 

 that if a beaft happens to eat any of it, which they are very apt 

 to do, he dies immediately, his belly buriting ; and the very 

 fowls who prey upon the carcafe, foon after drop down dead, as 

 is particularly related in a letter of colonel Reifhwein to doctor 

 Simon Paulli, which is to be met with in the Ada Medica Phil. 

 vol. il P . Hafnienf. Th. Bartholin. % A learned friend of mine has com- 

 municated to me a copy of a letter which he lately received from 

 a clergyman, where, in compliance with his defire, he gives him 



* Mr. Ramus thinks that Oere-land is the chief place where they grow •, but this 

 proceeds from his miftaking them from Gramen offifragum, which will be fhewn 

 to be a very different thing. 



f In a letter of my learned anceftor Er. Pontoppidon, to Simon Paulli, idib. April. 

 1675, I find this herb to be alfo called Sprengrod •, his words are thefe • " Exficca- 

 tum mitto tibi herbam illam, quae Sels Ncepe et Sprengeroed appellator." This laft 

 name unquestionably alludes to its poifonous quality. ■ 



t Vol. II. p. 128. Similis eft Apionis, fed radices habet crafias et nodofas lnitar 

 radicum'feu raparum Botfeldianarum. Si beftia, ut equus, vacca, bos, ovis vel 

 porcus illam devoret. (cujus tamen appetunt efcam, unde ruftici, ubi hasc herba 

 crefcit, ifta loca circumfepiunt, in quibus copiofe luxuriat) ftatim montur et dif- 

 rumpitur. Venerium ejus quoque tarn vehemens, ut avis, fi cadaveri involet, pa- 

 riter concidat confeftim, et fi inde repellatur, ftatim ex aere decidat moriaturque. 

 Hanc plantam hujus regionis incolae appellant, Syllenabbet. 



2 him 



129 



