TRAVELS tm ICELAND. 



perforated with a number of holes, in which are arranged from 

 a hundred to a hundred and fifty laces of horse-hair ; and a bird- 

 call is placed in the middle raft. The inhabitants of the environs, 

 on the arrival of the season, repair to the shore to pursue this 

 kind of hunting. Their boats are large, and contain from six to 

 eight men, while to every five rafts is attached one of these boats. 

 There is, besides, a boat winch draws six or eight smaller rafts, 

 for the benefit of the men employed. As soon as they have fixed 

 the rafts, they go to a distance and drop the fishing-lines, which 

 are provided- with a certain number of hooks: these are sunk to 

 the bottom by leaden weights, while they are kept perpendicu- 

 lar by wooden floats. 



They visit these lines twice a day, and in the interval they fish 

 with common lines. The fish are distributed over the rafts. 

 Each raft is capable of containing about a score of birds at a 

 time; and it is remarkable that the fish suffer themselves to be; 

 taken more readily with black horse-hair than with that of any- 

 other colour. 



The western part of the isle of Drangue contains a spot at 

 which these hunters can land at the base of a rock : but it is im- 

 possible to proceed up the island without permission from the 

 people belonging to the bishop, for on every side the rock 

 is extremely steep. In the spring, when the people em- 

 ployed by the bishop arrive, the most hardy and active among 

 them ascends by driving nails from space to space on which 

 he rests his feet, and continues this process till he gains the 

 summit ; he then drops a rope with which he is provided, and 

 thus enables the others to mount. On quitting the isle they take 

 out the nails. It will be perceived, that when they gain the top 

 they begin to hunt the birds ; but though this manner differs from 

 that of the rafts, yet the latter is of great utility when the sea 

 is calm. 



A MONSTER. 



In these districts there is a kind of fish which is considered as 

 a monster, perhaps on account of its size ; but it will doubtless 

 be discovered by naturalists to belong to the genus of marine 

 worms. The Icelanders may be excused for their notion 

 of it, since it is known that a celebrated nation, remark- 

 able for its scientific men, has taken for an unknown and 

 terrible monster a far less animal, doubtless of the same species. 

 We found in one of the annals of Iceland an account which states 

 that in the year 1639 there was thrown upon the coast of 

 Thingoe a singular creature or monster, the body of which was 

 as long as that of the human species, and was provided witl^ 

 seven tails ; each of which was four feet long, and covered with 



