Fork-shaped Implement 
and then they have ample opportunity to cultivate their social instincts. 
Then they gather in the huts and cabins and carry on endless discus¬ 
sions on religious problems, on politics either State or parochial, on 
the fishing prospects, civil law, and every other topic that comes within 
their range. The fishermen love to talk and admire no human profi¬ 
ciency so much as eloquence. It must he remembered that northein 
Norway is a very thinly populated country, and that people there lead 
very lonely lives in which the fisheries are almost the only diversion. In 
fact there can be no doubt that the prospect of social inteicouise is a 
strong inducement to undertake the trip aside from the hope of mate¬ 
rial gain. The moral significance of the Lofoten fisheries, for good or 
evil, should not be overlooked. 
At the Lofoten ports, where many people collect, there is an op¬ 
portunity to enjoy things that otherwise would be unknown luxuries 
to the scattered population of northern Norway. In the first place 
the fisherman can buy everything he ever thought of and many things 
that he never even imagined. Most of his clothing, his hooks, watch, 
and other necessaries are bought from the resident or itinerant traders, 
the latter doing business in tents which they bring with them and set 
up for the purpose. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to attend 
