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AG ss ulbi kr Fallen So sr NBA deg hal tede ENGE ter ds rå uses zu ele banen
/ 55 -
endog at de have seet dem. Naar man betragter Bæverens og fleere saa-
kaldte kloge Dyrs underlige Huusholdning, 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 4813
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 Henderson bleven
gjort opmærksom, inden han tiltraadte sin anden Reise til Is-
land, og han sågte derfor at indhente mulige nye Oplysninger. Efterat
have meddelt Eg. Olafsens ovenstaaende Beretning. og Ho00-
kers Tvivl vedbliver han (Journal of a Residence in Iceland,
in the years 1814, 1815 & 1818 II. p. 186) saaledes:
«Having been 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 fact
in natural history, by the testimony of two eye-witnesses of unquestionable
veracity, the clergyman of Briåmslæk, and Madame Benedictson of Stickes-
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 å 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. About two-thirds
of the passage in, two diagonal roads lead to their sleeping apartment and
the magazine, which they always contrive to keep free from wet.»
Ved at sammenholde Eg. Olafsens Meddelelse med He n-
dersons vil det let skjønnes, at den sidstnævnte ikke blot
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