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420 ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS.
came in my way; but what I have heard from Laplanders inhabiting thofe places re.
forted by beavers, I faithfully relate.
Otters are found in great quantities through Finmark: this animal is called by fome
Norwegians S/enter ; by Laplanders Zhyevres, a word denoting each fex of this crea-
ture. But the male otter, of full age and ftature, is called Goaaige ; the male young of
the otter in his firft year, Farro Goaaige ; the female of full age and ftature, Snaka ; a
female young juft come out of its firlt year, Farro Snaka ; and thofe that have not at-
tained this tender age, the Laplanders call Var/agges. The otters getting their fubfiltence
in the lakes furpafs thofe that live in the falt water by far, in the fleeknefs and beauty
of their hair. ‘The otters can be as eafily made tame as dogs, cats, and other domettic
animals ; befides, it can make itfelf agreeable and ufeful to its mafter, fetching fith from
the fea, and having difcharged that duty returns home. ‘There is a kind of otter, an
animal of {mall body, yet can catch the cod and other larger fifh : when it catches one,
it drags it out to the next fhore and eats it: while eating its eyes are always fhut, at leaft
very feldom does it open them, which the hunter chiefly attends to; for he comes
nearer while the otter’s eyes are fhut, and halts when open, which he does by turns,
until he can conveniently reach him with a ball, and thus commodioufly kill him.
On every maritime excurfion the Laplander is furnifhed with his gun. If the time
permits he determines his courfe, not direétly where he is going, but approaching the
fhore he examines all its bays and creeks, to find out wild animals of all forts, but chiefly
otters, which frequently are found there. This is the nature of the otter kind: that
from its amphibious nature it employs one part, refembling a fifh, fwimming through
the fea, through lakes and rivers, in getting its food; the others afligned to ref, which
it takes on the dry ground, and in caverns, not fuch as foxes build for themfelves, but
choofe fuch as by their very nature are formed from heaps of large ftones, difpofed in
a certain order. The Norwegians call a heap of ftones of this kind Uur. When the
cavern is found the hunter lays his fnare, from beams and poles artificially joined and
laid together, and furnifhed with very fharp points, in which the otter, either feeking or
quitting his den, falls into the fnare. Otters are taken in that well known machine
ipoken of before. The fkins are ftretched on two poles fit for this purpofe : that which
is applied to the longer part of the fkin is called in Lapland Gidne ; the other, which is
applied to the fhorter, is called Buoggnamor. ‘The Ruflians fometimes wear cloaths
trimmed with otters’ ikins; befides, they export them into Tartary, to be fold, re-
purchafed dear enough by the Laplanders; for a fkin which {tands a Danith trader ia
but one thaler, is bought back from the Ruffian at not lefs than two or three thalers.
The feas around Finmark abound in great plenty of feals, of which fome are larger,
and marked with white fpots; of thefe, fuch as are male are called in Lapland Devok ;
the females are called Aine. Some are of huge bulk, of white colour, which the Lap-
landers call Jaegees ; others, of moderate fize, marked with black fpots, called by the
Norwegians Steen Robbe, by the Laplanders Nuorro/h, the Lapland word exprefling each
fex. But the male is called in Lapland Rokka, the female dfzhio. Others are white,
with large black {pots, which the Laplanders call Dae/ja ; others alfo white, with black
{mall {pots, called Oaaido ; others {mall, with a long bent beak, in Lapland called Fare
Viudne ; others, with other colours and other names. Befides the faid {pecies of feals,
the Mor/e is fometimes found in fome parts of the feas around Finmark. ‘his marine
bealt the Norwegians call Hual Ros, the Laplanders Mor/h. The morfe has broad nof-
trils, thick tongue, huge crooked teeth, efpecially two, which project far beyond the
reft, and with which it is faid to lay hold of rocks under water in the fea, at no great
diftance from the fhore, and to keep himfelf faft by them, The Ruffians ufually make
balls
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