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380 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 fecing or hearing any thing. His chant or fong continues
nearly a minute each time. The fportfman, during this fhort in-
terval, moves on as faft as he can to come within fight of him,
and the infant 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 {pot in the wood as a place of rendezvous
for the party ; and there a large fire is kindled, the {moke of
which may be (eon 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 T had an opportunity of obferving how eafy
it is to fet a whole wood on fire. In the woods there is a {pecies :
of dry mefs, which is a moft dangerous conductor; and if 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 ina
very fhort 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,
which we mentioned in a former part of this work.
‘This
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