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TRAVELS 
and frequents woods of fir trees. Towards the beginning of June 
he fings in the night, perched on a branch, or the fummit of a 
tree. He has fuch extreme fagacity and cunning, that it is almoft 
impoffible to get near him, except in the moment of his finging: 
then he has a convulfive motion in his head and eyes, which pre¬ 
vents his feeing or hearing any thing. His chant or fong continues 
nearly a minute each time. The fportfman, during this fliort in¬ 
terval, moves on as faft as he can to come within fight of him, 
and the inftant the bird has done finging he flips behind a tree, 
where he muft not ftir nor even fo much as breathe, left he fhould 
be perceived. In this manner he continues moving forward till he 
gets to a proper diftance for firing at him. It is ufual in this 
chafe to fix upon fome fpot in the wood as a place of rendezvous 
for the party ; and there a large fire is kindled, the fmoke of 
which may be feen at a diftance. Some perfon is always left to 
take care of the fire, left it fhould extend too far, and his employ¬ 
ment is to prevent its communicating with the neighbouring trees. 
Upon thefe occafions I had an opportunity of obferving how eafy 
it is to fet a whole wood on fire. In the woods there is a fpecies 
of dry mofs, which is a moft dangerous conductor; and it the 
people are not extremely careful in clearing it away all round the 
fire, it will fpread a conflagration to the diftance of a mile in a 
very fliort time. The fportfmen, who frequently make fires in 
the woods for fome particular purpofe, muft be reckoned among 
the caufes of thofe great conflagrations in Sweden and Finland, 
vfhich we mentioned in a former part of this work. 
This 
