55 
endog at de have seet dem. Naar man betragter Bæverens og fleere saa- 
kaldte kloge Dyrs underlige Huiisholdning, kan dette om Skovmuusen ikke 
agtes utroeligt. At de kunne lige saa vel samle Vinter-Forraad, som de 
smaae Egerner i Nord-America, i deres konstige Boliger (see Kalms Americ. 
Resa Tom. II. pag. 74 & seqq.), er endnu mindre underligt.« 
Denne Beretning blev benyttet af Pallas, Pennant og 
Flere, men W. Hooker yttrede i sin ,,Tour in Iceland^^ 1813 
mere end Tvivl om Rigtigheden af det Meddelte, idet han til- 
foiede, at de mere fornuftige Islændere loe af Beretningen. Paa 
dette Tvivlspunkt var imidlertid Præsten Hende rs on bleven 
gjort opmærksom, inden han tiltraadte sin anden Reise til Is¬ 
land, og han sogte derfor at indhente mulige nye Oplysninger. Efterat 
have meddelt Eg. Olafsens ovenstaaende Beretning og Hoo- 
kers Tvivl vedbliver han (Journal of a Residence in Iceland, 
in the years 1814, 1815 & 1818 H. p. 186) saaledes: 
• Having heen apprised of the doubts that where entertained on this 
subject, before setting out on my second excursion, I made a point of in- 
quiring at different individuals as to the reality of the account, and I am 
happy in being able to say, that it is now established as an important faet 
in natural history, by the testimony of two eye-witnesses of unquestionable 
veracity, the clergyman of Bridmslæk, and Madame Benedictson of StieJees- 
holm: both of whom assured me that they had seen the expedition performed 
repeatedly. Madame Benedictson in particular, recollected having spent a 
whole afternoon, in her younger days, at the margin of a small lake on 
which these skilful navigators had embarked, and amused herself and her 
companions by driving them away from the sides of the lake as they ap¬ 
proached them. I was also informed that they make use of dried mush- 
rooms as sacks, in which they convey their provisions to the river, and 
thence to their homes. Nor is the structure of their nests less remarkable. 
From the surface of the ground a long passage runs into the earth, similar 
to that of the Icelandic houses, and terminates in a large and deep hole 
intended to receive any water that may find its way trough the passage^ 
and serving at the same time as a place for their dung. Ahout two-thirds 
of the passage in, two diagonal roads lead to their sleeping apartment and 
the magazine, which they always contrive to heep free from loet.-^ 
Ved at sammenholde Eg. Olafsens Meddelelse med Hen- 
dersons vil det let skjdnnes, at den sidstnævnte ikke blot 
