NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 127 



namely, that thefe creatures, in a flock of a thoufand together, 

 will fleer their courfe as exaftly as if they went by a compafs : 

 for when they perceive any noife, or are driven away from a 

 flake of ice, and are obliged to take ftielter any where elfe, if 

 the wind ferves, the feamen have nothing elfe to do, but to fet 

 fail after them ; and when they have only obferved what courfe 

 they took at their departure, they fleer exactly the fame point of 

 the compafs, and they may be fure of coming up with them., 

 upon the firfi flake of ice they meet in their courfe ; tho' they 

 often fail a very long way before they come up with them. 

 A great number of Sea Calves are taken at Faroe, in the dark 

 and deep caverns of the rocks 3 which that ifland abounds with. 

 In what manner that is done, is very well related by the curious 

 Mr. Lucas Debes, in his Defcription of that Country, p. 151,8c 

 feq. " They have many ways to catch them befides fhooting How they 

 a them. In former times they ufed nets, but few do it now J "aroe. 

 " but they hunt them with dogs, bred for that purpofe. As 

 " the fight of the Sea Calf is but imperfect, when awake, and 

 a he is generally found afleep on the rocks, the dogs eafily 

 a approach them, againft the wind (that they may not fmell 

 cc them) flart upon them unawares, and feize them by the throat, 

 cc holding them fail till the mafler comes to their afliflance, 

 cc and kills them. The third way is but feldom pra&ifed, and 

 cc is called there Paa Later. This word Later is not a Latin, but 

 cc an old Faroesk word, and fignifies to pair together; for when 

 <c the Sea Calves pair themfelves, it is ufually called there 

 cc Lateres. There are many vafl caverns under the rocks, clofe 

 cC to the fea, which are like vaulted cellars, the entrance to fome 

 cc of which is but fmall, like a door, that a narrow boat can but 

 Ci jufl get in ; within them there is a flagnating deep water, that 

 " they may row in, but the farther they advance, the fhallower 

 cc the water is, till at laft they find themfelves upon a dry 

 u rock, which forms a vaulted roof over their heads, and caufes 

 a an extraordinary echo when one fpeaks. All here is fo dark, 

 cc that there is no diflinguifhing day from night. In thefe 

 a difmal caverns the Sea Calves take up their abode by hun- 

 cc dreds together, and therefore the inhabitants think they couple 

 " there ; and thence call thofe places Later ; and to look out for 

 " thofe places, to kill the Sea Calves, they thence call Paa Later. 

 ft This Later is of two forts ; the one is when the entrance is 

 " under water, and is therefore inacceflible, and is called Kaufue 

 " Later, becaufe the Sea Calf kaufuer, that is, ducks under 

 u water, when he enters it : the other has the entrance above 



cc water. 



