THROUGH FINLAND. 
2S1 
This fpecies of fport had not the fame attraction for me as the 
fhooting of other birds; we were obliged to pafs the whole night 
in the woods ; to liften to the tinging of the bird with the invidi¬ 
ous ear of a fpy, to fkulk and fupprefs our very breath, in order 
the better to catch the found of his voice ; and when at laft we 
heard him, it was necelfary we fhould employ all the craft and 
artifice of a traitor, take advantage even of the fentiment of love 
in this poor creature, and all this for the bafe purpofe of killing 
him by furprife. In the chafe, as in every thing elfe, I love plain 
dealing; I love to make the birds fly before me, to purfue them, 
and to declare war before I fire upon them. One fingle bird killed 
upon the wing is worth ten afTafTinated on the branch of a tree. 
What contributed Hill more to attach us to our refidence at 
Uleaborg was, as I have before intimated, the accident of our 
meeting here two gentlemen lovers of mufic, one of whom played 
the violoncello, the other the alto. Thus, with the affiftance of 
Mr. Skioldebrand, my travelling companion, who played the 
violin, and myfelf who played the clarinet, we were in condition 
to perform a quartetto tolerably well. A quartetto at Uleaborg 
was a phenomenon no lefs out of the ordinary courfe of things, 
than the appearance of the moft aftonifhing meteor. There were 
not ten perfons in the town who had ever heard mufic in four 
parts; nor probably from its foundation to the day of our arrival, 
had a quartetto been ever executed within its bounds. The reader 
will eafily conceive the pleafure we derived from the fimplicity of 
thofe good people, who looked up to us as the gods of mufic, 
Vol. I. O o 
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