A spring and summer in Lapland : with notes on the fauna of Luleä Lapmark

Front matter

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Preface

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Tse following work on the Fauna of Lapland is compiled from notes kept during a season’s collecting up at Quickiock in 1862. These notes have, for the greater part, already appeared in the columns of the “ Field’’ News-

paper ; but the Hditor having kindly given back | to the Author the right of republishing, he has, at the request of several friends, collected them in the shape of a volume, with some slight _ alterations and additions, and agai brings them before the public in another form, fancying that they may now be of more. service to the naturalist and traveller than in the columns of a newspaper. As the Author’s sole object in gomg up to Lapland was for the purpose of collecting birds and eggs, the present work will be found rather as a guide to the ornithologist se

PREFACE.

Phin’ any other class of reader, although the same time it is to be hoped that ie general reader will find something in it to interest him. In conclusion, the Author can only express his sincere hope that the work in its present form will be as kindly and favourably received as the notes from which it is compiled were, when they first appeared in the columns of the ‘ Field.”

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Contents

—— & CHAPTER I.

PAGE.

A FEW PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE GENERAL FAUNA AND

Chapter I

A FEW PRELIMINARY REMARKS ON THE GENERAL FAUNA AND LANDSCAPE OF SCANDINAVIA.*

It is no easy task to give even a good general account of the fauna, climate, or scenery of this wide-stretched continent, which extends from about 95° to 71° of north latitude, and covers an area of nearly 300,000 English square miles, diversified with every description of landscape, from the low peat sandy plais and open turf mosses of the south, and the dense pine forests of the midland districts, to the barren fells of the north, whose snow-capped summits afford a scanty sustenance to scarcely any other livine creature than the reindeer and the ptarmigan. Over so wide a surface we shall expect to find soil and

* By Scandinavia is meant Sweden and Norway, not including Denmark.

B

+3 [ee Ned 9 A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND.

vegetation of every description; and it is the ee : diversity of scenery which meets the trayeller’s eye at every turn, that gives a charm to wandering through these northern climes. Still, rich as it is in natural productions, rich as it is in every branch of its fauna, this is a land comparatively but little known to the British traveller ; whilst almost every other part of the Huropean continent, whose natural beauties can scarcely surpass this magnificent country in the summer, are as well known to the English tourist as the woods and glades of his own merry England.

Scarcely any other country in Hurope possesses so many attractions to the naturalist as Scandinavia, for the varied nature of the landscape, with so few inhabitants scattered over its surface, marks it as a fitting home for such of the rarer species of quadruped and bird as delight m solitude and retirement; while its vast extent of coast, its magnificent rivers, and innumerable mland lakes must render it one of the greatest interest to the ichthyologist. Most of the larger and wilder species of the European mammalia are to be met with im one part or another of this immense continent. The elk finds shelter m the midland forests ; the reindeer on the northern fells; the iy bear, the lynx, the olutton the wolf, and the eae * northern districts; and the marten cat, the fox, and the squirrel, besides many species of bats and field-mice, abound in every part of the country.

Unfortunately, the beaver is now nearly extinct, and almost the only memento we meet with here at the present day of this teresting animal (which was once so common in the north of Hurope) 1s an occasional deserted beaver dam, in one or other of the wildest and most secluded northern forests. It is on account of this country presenting so wide and varied a surface, that we find so manifest a difference in its fauna, and this is still further supported when we consider the nature of the lands—open downs, deep forests, sandy flats, cultivated fields, meadow, marsh, and morass, and in the very north, snow-covered fells. These last must exercise a great influence on the fauna of the north, for every species of animal must have its well-defined limit from the region of perpetual snow. Messon, with his usual acumen, divides Scandinavia mto separate regions for different animals and plants.

Beginning from the very tops of the fells, and following, by degrees, in a southerly direction, the tracks that lie below them, we shall find that certain species of animals, as well as of plants, are only to be met with on the highest fells, amongst perpetual snow-drifts ; and also that other species are found only in those tracts far removed from the fells themselves, and this will hold good, whether we divide these regions in a vertical or horizontal direction, with this difference, that the regions n the latter are much broader than in the former.

After these remarks we will divide the land into the following regions for plants and quadrupeds, taking a fell tract in West Norway, 60° north latitude. ;

1. The Perpetual Snow Region, which extends from the tops of the highest snow fells down to the first bushes. In this region the only vegetations are a few ice plants, lichens, and mosses;

and the only quadrupeds that belong to them are the glutton, the white fox, the remdeer, the northern hare (Lepus Pibea and the common weazel.

2. To the Willow and Birch Region belong the lemming, two or three species of field-mice, the fox, the wolf, the bear, the stoat, the common field-mouse, the Lorex pygmeus, and one bat (Vesp. borealis).

3. In the Pine and Fir Region we meet ila the long-eared bat, parti-coloured bats, the watershrew, the lynx, the marten, the otter, the long-tailed field-mouse, the common mouse, two or ~ three species of vole, the ES the elk, sie! esa ei red deer.

C | PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 5)

4. In the Oak Region, reckoning from that tract where the oak-tree first grows, the great bat, the hedgehog, the common rat, the grey hare (Lepus Canescens), the polecat, and the badger.

do. The Beech Region, the Barbastell bat, thie mole, the dormouse, and the Roedeer.

6. In such Tracts as the black mulberry can ripen in (skane) are found fossil remains of the wild boar, the large bear (Ursus speleus), the southern species of reimdeer, the Bos wrus, Bos Jrontosus, Bos longifrons, and the bison.

And as regards the ornithology of the country, we shall see the limits of the several birds just as Clearly defined. For— 2

1. In the Snow Region we meet with the snow bunting, Buffon’s skua, the wheatear, the raven, rough-legged buzzard, the gyrfalcon, the snowy owl, the short-eared owl, the ptarmigan, the white-. fronted goose, the dotterel, the golden plover, the redshank, the dunlm, the purple landpiper, the common gull, the herring gull (by the fell lakes), and three or four species of diving duck.

2. In the Willow and Birch Region — the meadow pipit, the blue-throated warbler, the brambling, the mealy redpole, the black-headed bunting, the yellow wagtail, the willow wren, the redwing, the ring ouzel, the redstart, marsh titmouse, Siberian titmouse, water ouzel, willow grouse, common sandpiper, common snipe, hooper, bean goose, pintail, scoter, widgeon, wild duck, and. teal. |

3. In the Pine and Fir Region—the Siberian jay, the waxwing, pine bullfinch, the hawk owl, the fieldfare, the greenfinch, the siskin, chaffinch, hedge-sparrow, bullfinch, crested tit, coal tit, great black woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker, gold-crest wren, the crossbills, redbreast, garden warbler, song thrush, tree pipit, caper black — erouse, and hazel grouse. |

A. In the Cultiwated Districts — the hooded crow, magpie, ortolan bunting, yellow bunting, white wagtail, common sparrow, swallow, and martin, etc.

Thus we shall see, as might naturally be expected, that the*vegetation, as well as the fauna of this land, has its defined limits; for, beginning with the cultivated districts at the bottom of the fells, where many of the trees and shrubs peculiar to Britain are met with, we come first (ascending the fell sides) to the fir districts, and then to the pine. Above these we meet with the common birch, and higher up with the willow and the fell birch. Above this we reach a district where little save mosses and lichens can grow, and above aly hes the region of perpetual snows, if

The botanist can judge for himself how wide a field is here open to him, and it is no wonder that Sweden is able to boast of so many well versed in this science, and the study of the entomologist goes hand in hand with it. But to the geologist and lover of antiquarian lore Scandinavia posseses still richer attractions. Judging from the fossil remains preserved in the museums of the country, many animals (long since outrooted from this land, and some altogether extinct) in former days inhabited the south of Sweden, and the bones of antediluvian monsters which are occasionally dug up in the turf mosses of “ Skania,” are evidences of by-gone ages. It is easy, while gazine on these interesting relics, to carry the reflective mind back to the period before man appeared on the face of the globe; when, probably, the waves rolled over the greater part of this continent, and we can picture to the mind’s eye monstrous cartilaginous fishes then peopling the waters, and reptiles of misshapen and hideous growth drawing their slow length over the slimy oozes of the Fens. Pass we on to a later day, and the whole face of the country has gradually changed. The wild bull tossed his mane in the then secluded forest ; the wild sow farrowed in security in regions as yet untrodden by the foot of man, and hundreds of gigantic elk and red deer roamed at will through the oak and beechen forests, and over the wide prairies of southern Scandinavia. | Pirie

« Whatever,’’ observes Dr. Johnson, * withdraws us from the power of our senses, whatever makes the past, the distant, or the future predominate over the present, advances us in the dignity of thmking beings.’’ And whoever takes an interest in the early ages of mankind will here find much to occupy his attention and his thoughts. The rude implements of the chase and the barbarous weapons of warfare which are still » preserved, carry the mind back to distant ages, when the battle and the chase formed man’s constant or only employment. Huge barrows and cairns, and rude but stupendous monuments of stone mark the site of many an ancient battle-field, or the last resting-place of the old Scandinavian warrior and king; whilst rude hieroglyphics, cut on the rocks in many places of these coasts, are mementos at the present day, of those savage barbarians who in the early ages of Christianity spread fire and desolation over so great a portion of Hurope; when the ‘ Viking’’ or pirate vessel spread her sails to the wind, and bore the ‘«‘ Vikinger”’ or dreaded sea pirate to the opposite shores of Britain.

Our task, however, is Be the present, and not the past; and it only remains for us to add, a that let his taste be what it may—whether he be a sportsman, a naturalist, or merely a wanderer in search of the beauties of nature—the traveller here will find full employment; and there is, probably, scarcely another country in Europe, through which (especially durmg the summer months) a stranger can travel with so much cheapness, security, and freedom as in this.

But to return to our more immediate subject. As regards the mammalia of Scandinavia, two hypotheses have been framed respecting their introduction into this land. It is supposed by some, and with good reason, that this continent was at an early period landlocked with the rest of Hurope before the Baltic and the Bothnia formed a dividing line of sea; and according to their idea, most of the southern species came over the dry land where the Baltic now flows, and the more northern ones, such as the glutton, Arctic fox, reindeer, flying squirrel, and some others, came from the tracts lymg north-east of the Bothnian Gulf. Be this, however, as it may, each species appears to be pretty well confined to its assigned lmits, and only makes occasional migrations to other districts, induced by an instinct which it baffles man’s ingenuity to account for.

Not so, however, with the ha sicey 0 of the north. The migrations of the feathered race to these climes are much more regular and certain; but it may be remarked that many individuals of the different families, which as a general rule are only summer migrants to the north of the country, : remain stationary in the south of Sweden during the winter, especially if the weather be open; and many ducks, although the majority leave the country, are to be seen off the southern coast, and even on the open midland waters, durmeg that season. Some other species are only partial migrants in the winter from the northern and midland districts to the south of the country, . where they remain during the coldest season, and return to their more northerly breeding haunts in the sprmg. Among these we may mention the hooded crow, one or other of the falcons and hawks, the jackdaw, mealy redpole, greenfinch, siskin, goldfinch, mountain linnet, chaffinch, purple sandpiper, spotted crake, dabchick, and some of the diving ducks and gulls.

The few that remain in the middle and north of the country throughout the most inclement winters are the eagles, the gyrfalcon, goshawk, all the owls (with the exception of the short-eared), | the raven, magpie, all the woodpeckers (except the middle-spotted), which is confined at all seasons to the south of the country; the crossbills, __ pine grosbeak, waxwing, jay, Siberian jay, the titmice, yellow bunting, sparrow, bullfinch, a few redwing and fieldfare, and a diving duck or two, if there be any open water. And we may notice three others, whose slender frames appear ill fitted to withstand the rigours of a northern winter, but which I have seen in the Wermland forests during the severest weather—the tree-creeper, the wren, and the gold-crest. Why these httle stragglers should remain behind, after all their glad com~ panions of summer have flitted to warmer climes, has always been a mystery to me. Some few species, such as the hen harrier, the pigmy curlew, the knot, the sanderling, the bernacle goose, the brent, and the grey plover, have not yet, in my knowledge, been detected breeding in any part of Scandinavia, but are only seen during their migrations, as it 1s supposed, to and from more northeasterly latitudes; but as I have shot the grey plover, the knot, and the pigmy curlew, on the southern coast of Skania, very early in August, in full summer dress, as well as birds of the year, there is every reason to suppose that these indi« viduals had bred somewhere on this continent. With the exception of, perhaps, a rare sea-fowl, whose peculiar home is in high northern latitudes, there are no regular winter migrants to. Scandinavia.

Some birds are becoming yearly more scarce hee A SPRING AND SUMMER IN LAPLAND.

in the north. For instance, the sheldrake, bittern, ruff, lapwing, black tern, black-headed gull, and | golden plover; and as all these, with the excep- __ tion of the last-named, are southern species, this fact may be accounted for by the increase of cultivation. On the contrary, one or two other species are gradually spreading themselves more widely over the face of the country—such as the shore lark, Siberian tit, etc. Many of the summer migrants do not appear in the same quantities in each succeeding year. ‘The nutcracker is a striking instance of this fact; and m certain winters, when the supply of fir cones and berries runs short, fewer of the partial migrants are to be seen in the midland forests.

That the British fauna is far richer m accidental varieties than the Scandinavian, 1s easily accounted for by the fact of the former country being so densely populated and closely examined, that it is next to impossible for a strange bird to show itself on the British shores without being at once noticed. Whereas, such is the wild nature of the Scandinavian landscape, and so thinly are the | habitations of man scattered over its surface, that a rare bird may come and go, year after year, ; without being noticed by any one. But that Scandinavia is much richer in indigenous species aa and individuals of those species, during the breed- — 4

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Ta ing season, may be supposed, when we. consider the wide tracts of uninhabited country between Falsterbo Reef and the North Cape, abounding in suitable localities for the wilder, and to the British fauna rarer, species of birds, whose shy and retired habits lead them to seek securer and more secluded breeding haunts than any part of Great Britain can afford. We find, therefore, that out of the 357 species included in the British fauna, not one-half are known to breed in that country ; whereas, out of about 300 Scandinavian species, about 230 breed in the north. | With regard to the Danish fauna, it may be regarded as intermediate—between that of Great Britain and Scandinavia; but comparatively fewer birds breed there than in either of the abovenamed lands. In climate and general appearance the country much resembles the British isles; and I thought I never gazed upon a quieter, richer, or lovelier landscape, than when passing through the Belts a few summers ago. The country is well adapted to the habits of the southern warblers, and many of the common waders and water fowl, and lying in a direct line, as it were, between England and Sweden, it 1s more frequently visited by the rarer northern birds than the former country. The south of Denmark is highly cultivated, and the whole land has a far more pastoral

OT Ty is ri Sy appearance than the opposite shores of Sweden. _ In the north of Zealand, however, are many miles) of barren moorland, which, without possessmg the rich appearance of the bonny purple heather of Scotland, are well adapted to the habits of the eurlew, golden plover, and many other birds which frequent the British moors. The country, however, is level, and, therefore, we never meet in

Denmark either with the ptarmigan or the willow erouse, both which abound in Sweden and Norway; and the absence of the pine and fir forests renders it an unfitting residence for some of the large birds of prey. That noblest of all game birds, the capercally, as well as the hazel grouse, are unknown here, and the blackcock is rare;

otherwise the Danish fauna much resembles that of the south of Sweden, from which it is only separated by the Sound, a narrow channel but a few English miles broad. There are no rivers to speak of in Denmark, but many large ponds, well stocked with the commoner species of fresh-water fish. However much the agriculturist and the admirer of pastoral scenery may love to linger among ~ the neat enclosures and rich pastures of the Danish farmers, this country affords but little mterest to the naturalist or the sportsman, who willeagerly hasten on to the wilder and less inhabited districts. : I consider the British coasts, generally speak- — ing, to be much richer in sea fowl than the southern coast of Sweden; but the wild “ Skar Gard,” or cluster of rocky islands that skirt the northern shores of Scandinavia is the peculiar home of these birds, which resort, every spring, in countless thousands, to their breeding haunts on the western and northern coasts; whilst the immense swamps and morasses, and innumerable inland lakes with which the whole of Scandinavia is studded, afford secure shelter and breeding places for every species of inland aquatic birds. In the very south of Sweden, where the oak, the beech, and the hazel usurp the place of the pine and the fir, kings of the northern forest, the different species of warblers find a home as congenial to their habits as the groves and plantations of Hngland; and as regards the general fauna of this part of the country, it differs but little from that of Britain. The severity of the northern winter is here but little felt, and the spring migrants make their appearance nearly as early as in Hngland, and generally a fortnight earlier than they are to be seen in the midland districts, where snow frequently covers the eround, in the end of April.

In the midland districts, where pine and fir forests of boundless extent rise on high stony ranges, intersected with plains and valleys of meadow and cultivated land and dells, where idea” ade willow and the alder vegetate in great luxuriance, nearly every species of land birds finds a congenial home. Whilst vast morasses, many of which can never be traversed by the human foot, rivers, and inland lakes of every size, frmged with the reed, the bulrush, and the candock, and thousands of acres of low meadow land, covered with thick coarse grass, abound in every species of water and aquatic birds, which resort to the north in hundreds at the commencement of the breeding season. It is here that the British naturalst begins to meet with rare and new specimens, and it is here that the eye of the traveller first gazes on the fine scenery of the north; and more beautiful scenery than Scandinavia displays during the summer months it would be hard to find. I have wandered over many lands, but scarcely ever saw a Huropean landscape to vie with this.

In the very north, the appearance of the whole country becomes gradually more wild and rugged, and high mountains and barren fells, covered with perennial snows, rise above the limits of vegetation, and towering over the forests which skirt their bases, are the home of some few of the very scarcest and wildest species, whose haunts during :

the breeding season are but little known to us.

It is therefore not to be wondered at that the

PRELIMINARY REMARKS. t7 southern naturalist should fondly long to wander in the secluded regions of the far north, which contain treasures so eagerly coveted for his collection at home, and it is to be hoped that a perusal of the following pages will give him a slight insight into the fauna of this magnificent land, and prove that the task of reaching it is neither so arduous or troublesome as he might at first be led to suppose.

CHAPTER IL. pare oe

PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY, AND HINTS TO THE TRAVELLER.

Tue tourist who visits Lapland merely for the sake of seeing the country will find little difficulty in effecting his object. He will not require to leave England before the end of May; he can perform the whole journey from Hull to Happaranda (the most northerly town in the Bothnian Gulf), vid Gothenburg and Stockholm, by steam. The Bothnian steamers start from Stockholm as soon as the sea is free from ice. Of course this is dependent upon the season; but we cannot reckon — with any certainty that they can run the whole . way up until early in June. He will require no passport, and neither guide nor interpreter, till he reaches Happaranda, from which place he can | branch off in any direction he pleases. His jour-— ney will then be performed in boats or on foot, and he will find far less difficulty in reaching the wildest spot in Lapland than he would anticipate. a But if his object is merely to visit the North Cape, — his better plan will be to go from Hull to C. “ tiana in Norway, thence to Bergen, and from that place he will obtain a passage by steamer right up to Hammerfest or Vardoe. ‘The journey from Hull to Gothenburg will occupy three days; from that place to Stockholm, three more; thence to Happaranda, four more. :

But it is a very different affair for the naturalist or collector, especially if eggs are his principal object.. He will require to be up at his head-quarters early in April, and he must necessarily steam up in the autumn, before the winter sets in, and brave the rigours and monotony of a Lap winter; or he must adopt my plan, and sledge up during the winter—taking care that he is not too late, for the snow melts all at once when the thaw sets in (and this happens long before the ice goes in the rivers); and just at this time travelling is dangerous, troublesome, and laborious. I was lucky enough to hit the identical time. I left Gardsj6 on March 24, and reached Quickiock on April 16, and the sledging was good the whole way up, save for six English miles. Had I waited another week I should have had little or no sledging till | reached Hernosand; and such a journey at this time of year, on these dreadful peasants’ carts, over bad roads, could have been scarcely borne by any one save a Swedish mailman or a genuine “ gutta-percha’’ boy.

It is not my intention to occupy more sp than I can possibly help with the details of my journey, and, in fact, throughout my whole notes, will endeavour to be as concise as possible; but this ttle work being intended as a guide for any future traveller or naturalist who may wish to visit this interesting land, of which comparatively so little is known in England, I shall, perhaps, notice some matters which may appear trivial to the general reader, yet prove of great service to the traveller. As my trip, however, was solely for the purpose of collecting and obtaining a better knowledge of the habits of the rarer British birds during the breeding season, my notes on the ornithology of the districts which I visited may probably assume a more lengthened form; and the reader may rely implicitly on what I write;

for, as | ever have done, I shall state nothing as a fact which does not come under my own personal observation. I shall, in the first place, give a short sketch of the journey up, and make a few remarks on life in Lapland, as it struck me; and I shall carefully avoid tiring the reader with anecdotes related to me by others; for I look upon a narrative or book filled with anecdotes, unless the writer can himself vouch for their truth, | x as little better than a work of fiction. And let — ob me remark at starting, that if I state any fact variance with other naturalists, it does not follow that I wish to infer that they are wrong, or that I know more than they do. The habits of birds differ much in different localities; and it is never fair to condemn a man for stating a fact relative to the habits of any bird or animal because we may not happen to have observed it ourselves.

I shall commence by making a few remarks on the manner of posting through these northern - countries. The roads throughout Sweden are generally excellent—hilly, 1t is true, and rough in many places, owing to the nature of the country, but well looked after by the ‘‘ landsman,”’ or chief magistrate of each district. A toll-bar is never seen, except occasionally at the entrance of a town. At a distance of about every Swedish mile (62 Hnglsh), or perhaps 14 mile, is a post-station, the master of which is bound to furnish horses and conveyances for travellers, as well as accommodation. Diligences run between many of the principal towns, and in the summer steamers ply through the whole country; but the posting is all done by the peasants’ little horses; and, if the traveller has no conveyance of his own, he rides in winter on a peasant’s sledge—at other times, in one of their little carts. The post-master has seldom any horses in his stable; and ‘‘ A pair out, quick!’’ is not the order of the day here. The

¥ Pee ee See: RU ep | a it horses are furnished by the neighbouring farmers, oe each in his turn, and the postmaster has sometimes to send a distance of two English miles for horses; consequently, the traveller is often delayed a couple of hours at each station, but by the law he must not be kept more than three. If he sends forward a messenger or “ forbud” in advance (which will cost him, perhaps, 6d. the Swedish mile), the horses will be ready for him; but he must not keep them waiting, or he will have to pay for the peasant’s time. I observed, however, on my journey up, that at most of the stations now the mileage is a little higher, and they were bound to furnish us with horses in a quarter of an hour, so that a “forbud” is unnecessary. The rate of travelling may be estimated at one Swedish mile in the hour; and what with delays, bad horses, and hilly roads, the traveller may truly be said to crawl through the country. The charge, per Swedish mile, is about Is. for each horse, and 1d. for the cart or sledge. The drivers are generally little peasant lads—sharp, merry, rosycheeked urchins; and capitally they drive; and if they receive 1d. per Swedish mile as postilion fee, — they are more than satisfied. The horses are small, but always in good condition (for the — : Swedish peasant looks after his little horse like a — seen in the north. At each post-station is a day-book, in which the traveller enters his name, where he is bound for, etc.; and if he has any complaint to make here, he books it. In each day-book is entered the distance to the next stage, and the charge; so there is not half the trouble in postine through Sweden that the stranger would imagine. This day-book is sent in to the landsman at the endof each month, and a new one issued. ‘The postmaster is usually a better class of peasant, always civil and well-behaved, especially towards a foreigner. Most of the inns are furnished with a bill of fare hung up in the travellers’ room; and, as it may not be uninteresting to the English reader, I insert a tariff (dated Sept. 12, 1861) which I copied from an inn a httle north of Herinosand :— |