LAPLAND. 101 



them. Never did I regret so much that I knew 

 nothing of botany, as when wandering in this wild 

 but beautiful region. To stand in one of these 

 fell valleys on a carpet of grass and moss as soft 

 as the richest that Turkey can yield, variegated 

 with wild flowers of every hue, from one to the 

 other of which rare and beautiful butterflies are 

 continually flitting — to see the rugged fells them- 

 selves frowning down in severe majesty upon one, 

 excites a feeling of awe, perhaps, rather than 

 admiration ; and though we know that not a 

 human being is within miles of us, we cannot call 

 it solitude : — 



" 'Tis but to hold 

 Converse with Nature's charms, and view her stores unroll'd." 



I had, of course, many opportunities now of 

 seeing that most singular Lapland phenomenon — 

 the midsummer sun above the horizon at mid- 

 night, for just at this time was our best egg 

 season, and three nights out of the six we were 

 camped on or near to the fells, and for about a 

 month at midsummer we could always see the 

 rays of the setting sun reflected on the northerly 

 fells at midnight — in fact, for above two months 

 the nights were as light as day, and, strange to 

 say, I hardly ever could get a real refreshing- 

 night's sleep. We could now see to shoot as well 

 at midnight as at twelve o'clock by day — in fact, 



