148 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



indeed. " I did here what I never before did in 

 my life. I bagged seven full-grown capercailzie in 

 one afternoon, killing two fine cocks right and left. 

 The country round here would have swarmed with 

 wildfowl, if they would only spare the breeding 

 birds ; but whenever a pair of ducks drop in the 

 water in spring, within sight of a settler's house, 

 their death-warrant is sealed. "Holkar," or little 

 wooden tubs, are set up against the trees by the 

 river side, in which the golden- eye and merganser 

 breed ; but the birds are so much disturbed that 

 very few stay to breed just round the village, but 

 go back into the forest and the scrub under the 

 fells. 



To the naturalist visiting Lapland I will offer 

 the following advice : Neglect not to bring up 

 plenty of fine, tough ladies' curling-paper and pins 

 to wrap up the specimens in, for you can't get any 

 here ; and skins never travel so well as when they 

 are separately wrapped up. I had nearly 1,000 

 skins to bring down, many of them large ; and as 

 I was anxious to stow them away as closely as 

 possible to save expense of carriage, I took out all 

 the tow from the inside of the birds, and packed 

 them close. This plan answers very well with 

 some birds, such as ducks, divers, etc. ; but with 

 most other skins it is far better to stuff them 

 out in shape at first, and let them remain so. 



