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THROUGH FINLAND. 287
them, even in their moral habits, from the nations of the South.
The peafants during the winter are occupied, not only in the Ja-
borious performance of fuch bufinefles as are moft advantageoufly
accomplifhed when the earth is covered with ice and fnow, but alfo
in preparing for their neceffary avocations during the fummer.
They employ themfelves in making nets, cutting wood, conftruc-
ing cart wheels, and in tying up faggots for the fire. That of tranf-
porting things from one place to another, is one of the principal
occupations of the Finlandith peafantry in winter. They proceed
to the foreft and cut down timber for building, and making their.
fledges, as well as for fuel and other purpofes: they drag over
fields of ice and {now fuch enormous trunks of trees, as they
could fcarcely be able to move in fummer.
Hunting and fifhing are alfo avocations that are attended to in
winter. Their mode of fifhing is as follows: a couple of open-
ings are made in the’ice, and by means of ropes and long poles,
they then contrive to pafs their nets from one opening to the
other: the drawing out of the nets is attended with infinite la-
bour. They have another method of fifhing on the ice, which
feemed to me extremely curious, at leaft the novelty of it excited
my furprife. It is in catching fifth by a ftroke of a mallet or club.
In autumn, when the froft begins to fet in, the fifherman courfes
along the rivers; and when he obferves a fifh under the ice in
fhallow water, he ftrikes a violent blow with his wooden mallet
perpendicularly over the fith, fo as to break the ice. The fith,
ftupified by the blow communicated to it by the water, in a few
} feconds
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