The game birds and wild fowl of Sweden and Norway : together with an account of the seals and salt-water fishes of those countries / by L. Lloyd.

  • Llewelyn Lloyd
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The game birds and wild fowl of Sweden and Norway : together with an account of the seals and salt-water fishes of those countries / by L. Lloyd. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the reverse is the case. The people here have the saying, that if there be a southerly wind on Michaelmas Day, the birds from the south country will come to us in large ‘ packs,’ and face for the fjalls, so that during the winter great captures will be made ; but if, on the contrary, the wind on that day be from the north, not only the birds then in the country, but also those on the fjalls, will fly aAvay to strange places, and the fowler in consequence will reap but a sorry harvest. “ We ouo'ht to know the reason,” this writer continues, “ why during certain years birds iu our country appear in such small numbers, whilst during others they are so abundant. I will not go further back than the autumn of 1745, when birds were exceedingly scarce in all their usual haunts, hut in the following year so very plentiful as to fill all the woods, both great and small. Throughout Jcmtland every experienced fowler had a sledge-load to sell. The same winter, or beginning of 1747, birds wnre of so little value that a hazel-hen, or a ripa, was exchanged on the market-place for a single fig ! The country people had eaten so many birds as to be disgusted at the very sight of them, and no one would buy game, because every dealer who had taken birds to Stockholm for sale had lost largely by the speculation. The succeeding winter, that of 1747-8, not a fourth part of the captures were made. My opinion in regard to the matter in question is, that when birds a]ipear in Norrland in unusual numbers, they must have come from other countries—from Norway, llussia,* &c., for one then meets with individuals of an altogether different size to ours. Many of the Capercali Tlio notion seems pretty generally entertaineil both in Sweden and Norway, that some at least of the migratory Capereali in (jnestion come from Sil)ei'ia, where, i’allas tells us, a small ^•aril^ty of this bii-d is found, at tlie lower 'I'oonguska ii\(!r, ami to the Kussians kjiown by a name.
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