230 
BORGAFIORD. 
ment has long been growing into disuse, so that 
it is now become of extremely rare occurrence, 
and very few of the natives indeed, excepting the 
Tatsroed and his family, are capable of perform¬ 
ing upon it with any degree of skill. It consists 
of a narrow deal box, about three feet long, 
with a wider semicircular extremity, in which 
are the sdund-holes. Three 
brass wires, or sometimes 
five, are extended the whole 
length of this box, and 
tightened or slackened by 
means of small wooden pegs, 
as in our common violin. 
It is usually played upon 
with a bow of horsehair, the 
instrument itself lying in the 
mean while upon the table, 
but the Tatsroed’s daughter 
frequently made use only of 
her fingers, as with a guitar, 
in doing which she pressed 
the end of her thumb alone 
upon the wires, moving it up 
and down to produce the dif¬ 
ferent modifications of sound. 
The annexed representation 
of the Lang-spel, sketched 
since my return, from me¬ 
mory, will give a tolerable 
