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ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS. 421
balls and other artificial things from the teeth of this fith, as equalling ivory in whitenefs,
as almoft to furpafs it, though dearer and more valuable by far. ‘Lhe feet of the morfe
are covered with a very thick hide, almoft five fingers in thicknefs. King Chriftian IV.,
of glorious memory, by a decree publifhed at the caltle of Bergen on the fixth of July,
1622, ordered that fifteen hides of feals fhould be yearly bought for him. But the
fea-horfes that are found in this part of the ocean are fhort-haired, yet with a maned
neck, of an afh colour, different from thofe found in Iceland, of a carnation colour.
The morfe when attacked makes a furious refiftance. The Laplanders generally kill
them by mufkets that are grooved ; fometimes they attack them by clubs or battoons,
the blow being inflicted on the muzzle or front of the animal ; and winter is the time
when this mode of hunting is practifed, when the feals get together for the purpofe of
coupling. The young (which are firft born are almoft white, yet gradually take the co-
lour of the dam), as weaker, nor able to fly, are in fuch a conteft in the greate(t danger.
The fame fate generally befalls the dams, yet refifting, and with all their might attack-
ing their affailant; whence it oftentimes happens that they fall not unrevenged. Ina
calm fea one may fee the feals fleeping, the head with the lower part of the body being
under water, with the back above. ‘The Laplander obferving this, on the difcharge of
his gun, roufes him from his fleep, but fo as to overwhelm him with a perpetual fleep,
or in plain terms, hits him when fleeping with a ball and kills him. The feal is among
the amphibious, {fwimming fometimes in the fea, fometimes on dry land, refting among
the rocks, where, whilft he negligently lies, puts out one of his fore feet, exhibiting to
thofe who come to fee him the appearance of a man ftretched on his back, calling fome-
body with his hand to his affiftance. When many of them are fwimming at the fame
time in a troop, in order to get poffeflion of the fame rock, the one ftriving to get before
the other, by which means toffing and rolling themfelves they lafh the fea with fuch
violence, that their fhouts while contending, and the noife of the waters can be heard
far off. ‘Thofe who happen to gain the rock have no flight conte/t with their affociates,
who yet fwimming in the fea, endeavour by every exertion to get to the fame rock. If
the conteft is with an inferior, he who holds the rock eatily defends the place 3 but if
with a fuperior, he at length is compelled to yield. In fuch a conflict they mutually
miferably mangle each other, fetting up at the time a rude and favage kind of noife.
Seals are ufually caught by the following artifice: the fea, by means of the tide, in-
creafed to its greateft height, the feals climb the rocks, as was faid, to remain on them
until the fea fhall ebb: mean time a {trong piece of wood, planted and furnifhed with
very {trong hooks and bent irons, is put at the bottom of the rock, to the intent that
the feals rufhing down from the rock into the fea, fhould get entangled in thefe hooks,
which to fucceed the better, a fudden fhout is raifed by their aggreflors ; on hearing
which the feals with ail their might rufh into the fea, and by that exceilive hatte, greater
than at any other time, are caught on the hooks fet for them, ‘The fkins of this animal
are {tretched ufually in the manner in which falmon are dried, except the tenter-hooks
are more in number, longer, and thicker.
The fquirrel, in Norwegian, Jforn, in Lapland, Orre, is found in fome parts of Fin-
mark. «Among the fquirrels fome are of a grey colour ; but in fummer all, without
diftinction, are red. In the woods, where they live, they {pring from the top of one tree
to another with amazing agility. When pafling lakes or rivers, they feat themfelves on
little pieces of wood or bark, and erecting their tails for fails, they reach the place they
intend very commodioufly. There were two kinds of bows in ufe among the Laplan-
ders ; the one, called Gietdaugie, or the hand-bow, becaufe it was {tretched by the hand
alone. ‘This inftrument was very fimple, confifting of one arch, properly to called, and
a ftring.
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