104 
LINNAEUS 
Before Linnaeus’s memory stood the rich alpine flora 
of Lapland, and he expected something even better 
from Dalecarlia; only one phanerogam, Utricularia 
minor , was met with in this expedition which had not 
been previously known as Swedish. 
It does not follow that the results obtained were 
without value and interest. This was the first actual 
investigation towards a knowledge of the plant-world 
of this province, and at the same time reduced pre¬ 
vious sketches to their proper value. Petrus Ugla, 
who responded for the thesis “ De nuptiis arborum ” 
which had a considerable influence on Linnaeus’s 
career, had in this same year, 1734, issued a memoir 
“ De praefectura naesgardensi Dalecarliae,” in which 
according to Linnaeus, the author shows an unheard-of 
example of the danger of attacking a science with 
insufficient knowledge (“ illotis manibus ”—i.e., un¬ 
washed hands, being his actual expression), and he 
further points out that Petrus Ugla had included 
many plants only occurring in glass-houses or culti¬ 
vated, which have never been found wild in Sweden. 
In consequence of this thesis Linnaeus wrote his 
“ Flora dalecarlica,” though it was not published until 
1873, a hundred and thirty-nine years later. 
The zoological output is somewhat similar, only 
one single insect and one bird, Picus tridactylus , as 
related by Linnaeus himself. “ In the year 1734 when 
we came upon the Dalecarlian fells, I heard below in 
the forest between the fells, an uncommon note of a 
bird, which was afterwards shot; it was different in 
plumage and shape to other woodpeckers, and was 
not described or named by any author.” In one or 
two places, pearl mussels were met with; beavers were 
abundant in Sarna; in Alfdalen they spoke of a four- 
footed fish, which ran up trees; he thought it might be 
a water lizard. He was able to complete his account 
of the Oestrus which he had met with in Lapland. 
Lemmings were not seen, but in the Lima churchbook 
was found a remark that in 1636 a day of prayer was 
