234 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND. 



young, and I often observed them running about 

 tlie forests with their mouths full of grass to build 

 their nests with. It is curious that about the 

 middle of May there appeared to be another 

 smaller migration of them down from the fells 

 southward. Although the lower fells were covered 

 with them in the summer, I do not recollect seeing 

 one upon the very highest snow fells. As to the 

 wonderful stories of their marching in a body like 

 soldiers, surmounting all obstacles, swimming 

 rivers, and devastating the whole country as they 

 passed over it, I can only say I never saw them in 

 a body ; all that I saw were scattered here and 

 there over the whole face of the country. If ever 

 by chance I saw one travelling in the day, it was 

 running singly to hide itself, and we rarely saw 

 one on the move unless we had first disturbed it 

 from its lair. I never saw them either enter a 

 house or outhouse, or attempt to climb a wall. 

 They had no occasion to swim much, as there was 

 plenty of ice on the rivers and lakes (but they can 

 swim strongly and well) ; and as for devastating 

 the country as they passed over it, the bare open 

 patches which were clear of snow when the lem- 

 ming first came up were already as barren as the 

 deserts of Arabia ; and as soon as the spring came 

 on there was keep enough in the forests and on 

 the fells for millions of little creatures like these. 



