NATURAL HISTORY of 'NOR WAY. 61 



with a flrong rope, one always feeks a convenient place to fland 

 fure, and be able to hold himfelf faft, whilft the other is climbing 

 about. If the latter flhould happen to flip, then he is held up 

 by the other, who flands firm, and helps him up again ; and 

 when he has got fafe by thofe dangerous places, then he fixes 

 himfelf in the fame manner, that he may affift the other to come 

 fafe to him ; and then they clamber about after Birds where 

 they pieafe. But accidents fometimes happen ; for if the one does 

 not fland firm, or is not flrong enough to fupport the other 

 when he flips, they both fall, and are kill'd ; and this way there 

 are fome every year deflroyed. 



Hr. Peder Claufon, in his Defcription of Norway, writes, that 

 in former times there was a law in the country, that when any 

 one by climbing the rocks fell, and was killed, and his body- 

 was found, that then his neareft relation fhould go the fame 

 way. If he could not, or would not venture, then the deceafed 

 was not allowed a chriftian burial, but treated as a criminal, who 

 had 5 by that means, been his own executioner ; but that law is 

 not in force now a days. 



When they, in the manner already related, get up the rocks 

 to tr e Birds, in thofe places where they feldom come, the Birds 

 are fo tame that they may take them up with their hands •- for 

 they do not readily leave their young : but where they are wild, 

 there they either throw a net over them in the rock, or elfe thofe 

 that are flying away, or come flying in again, they throw their 

 poles againfl with a net on them, and fo entangle them in it. 

 This way they catch vaft numbers of the Lumvifer, Alliker, and 

 Lunder. In the mean time there is a boat lying underneath on 

 the fea, into which they throw their dead fowl, and fo quickly 

 fill the velTel. When the weather is tolerably good, and there 

 is a good deal of game, the birdmen will lie eight days together 

 in the rocks ; for there are here and there holes that they can 

 fafely and fecurely reft in; and provifion is let down to them by 

 lines, and others go every day to them with little boats, to fetch 

 what they catch. 



Many rocks are fo frightful and dangerous that they cannot 

 poffibly climb up them ; for which reafon, they continue to get 

 down from above, which they call to fie ; this is the fecond way 

 of fearching for Birds, and is done thus: they have a flrong rock- 

 line, or rope, eighty or an hundred fathom long, and about three 

 inches in thicknefs ; one end of this the birdman fattens about 

 his waift in the place of a belt, and then he draws it betwixt 

 his legs, fo that he can fit on it; and fo he is let down with his 

 * Part. II. R bird- 



