NATURAL HISTORY ^{NORWAY. 285 



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

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



In the laft place, I fliall obferve, that hunting, (hooting, and Hunting and 

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

 fortable livelihood, for every body is at liberty to purine 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 control!. They are allowed not only to deftroy 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 

 hates; and alfo growfe, mountain-cocks, francplins, partridges, 

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

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

 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 moot pretty exactly at a great 

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

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

 mooting, 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 ftill in 

 ufe in the Norwegian matrikul. In the fragment publiffied by 

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

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

 reddit fecundum facultates fuas ; ditiillmus communiter reddit 

 quindecim martium pelles, cervorum rangiferorum quinque, urfl 

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

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

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



* In this fenfe, we mould not look upon this as a fuperftitious prognoftication by 

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

 retur, incertique effent quorfum iter capiendum, aves emittebant, ex quarum volatu 

 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 rectius refert." Bartho- 

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

 Germanor. feptentrional. 1. 10, §4. p. 359. 



Part II. 4 D corio 



