118 A SPUING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



During the whole of April the snow lay two 

 feet deep in the forest, in many places much more, 

 and on the fells no one could tell its depth ; it was 

 impossible to get out of doors without " skiddor." 

 As I had never practised upon such a skate, and 

 it is not easy to " teach an old dog new tricks," I 

 was a close prisoner to the house for a great part 

 of the month. However, there was just now very 

 little to do in my line. It is true my lad brought 

 me in many good specimens of hawk owl, Siberian 

 jay, pine grosbeak ; but none of the spring migrants 

 had yet arrived, and the first nest we took was that 

 of the Siberian jay, on April 21st. The ptarmigan 

 and willow grouse were as yet in their pure white 

 winter dress. In the middle of April the sun rose 

 at half-past four and set at half-past seven. A 

 good deal of snow occasionally fell, and it was 

 impossible to give any idea of the temperature, for 

 on April 20 the mercury was 18° below zero 

 (Celsius), and on the 21st we had 10° warm (from 

 zero to 50° Fahrenheit). But every one prophesied 

 an early spring. The Laps were fast hurrying 

 back to the fells, and drove after drove of reindeer 

 passed through the village. About the 22nd I 

 began to see open water lie by the sides of the 

 streams, although there was still good sledging on 

 all the rivers and lakes,! and the waterfall in a 

 large stream that runs down from the northern 



