or corn-fields, and also in gardens, and then knock him on the head with a bludgeon.

"His fat is incomparable for rubbing into leather; it is also good in lamps. Its flesh is very eatable, when parboiled in hay-seed water, or still better in salt-water, and afterwards roasted and left to cool, and used for luncheon; it has then been looked upon by judges as a real delicacy; but it must be the flesh of young badgers." Mr. Greiff is not far from the mark in pronouncing the flesh of the badger to be very eatable. I remember partaking of the ham of one of those animals in the wilds of Ireland, which I thought excellent.

The skin," that author goes on to say, "is used for gun-cases, game-bags, and to cover trunks; and the best shaving-brushes are made from its hair. In the common gins, or snares, the badger seldom permits himself to be taken; but when there is only one entrance, or exit, to his den, he is then easily caught by a sort of trap which is used for rats, it being well understood that it is large enough to hold him.* The trap is made with four deals: at the farthest end, or that which is turned outwards, is an iron grate to give daylight; at the other end, which is placed quite close into the entrance of the cleft or den, a wooden door is affixed, which, when the badger has entered, falls, and thus encloses him. The

A truism that is little likely to be called in question.

CHAPTER XII.

Journey to Näs.-English Dogs incapable of withstanding the rigours of a Northern Winter.-Death of the Sälje Bear; finding a cub in her womb.-Dog fondling with Cubs.Manner of rearing young Bears; their playfulness.

ON the following morning, we had sixteen degrees of cold at sunrise, and twenty-five in the evening.

On the succeeding day, Monday the 14th of January, I took Elg and the dogs along with me, and drove in my sledge some sixteen or eighteen miles to the eastward, to search for a bear, of which we had received such intelligence as led us to imagine we might not improbably meet with the animal; but our little expedition proved unsuccessful; for, though we fell in with the spot where one of those beasts had passed a previous winter, we were not fortunate enough to find him.

The weather had now become rather severe; for, when we started at six o'clock in the morn

ing, there were thirty degrees of cold; and on our return, at eight in the evening, the quicksilver was six degrees below zero.

On the afternoon of the following day, Elg and myself set out in my sledge for Näs, for the purpose of seeing after the bear that had so unfortunately escaped us ten days before, near to Sälje. The former hamlet was situated at about ten miles to the northward of Lapp-cottage, and was the nearest habitable point to where the beast was then supposed to be encircled.

The track was now in fair order; and as we had a good horse, we soon reached our destination. Here I was fortunate enough to meet with a snug and clean room; and as I had some of my own bedding along with me, I found myself very comfortable.

The evening was inclement. On exposing a thermometer to the open air, the quicksilver fell to eighteen degrees below zero.

The peasant who had seen after the bear we were about to attack during our absence at Brunberg resided at Näs. We were glad to learn from him that, in that while, he had gone round the ring almost daily, and that he had every reason to believe the animal was still safe within it. Elg and myself, however, entertained some doubts whether the beast had ever been really encircled, as, from the snow which fell so immediately after

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we had roused him, it was not improbable that his tracks might have been obliterated, and that, in consequence, he had gone off unperceived.

At two hours before sunrise on the succeeding morning, Wednesday the 16th of January, Elg and myself, together with the peasant of whom I have just spoken, were off on foot for the ring, which was at about six miles to the N. E. of Näs. But before starting we said nothing regarding our intention, other than that we were going to see that the ring was secure; for, in the event of a second failure, we did not wish again to be laughed at.

At this time, the quicksilver was twenty-five degrees below zero; but though I was only habited in my usual clothes, with the exception of an additional waistcoat, from walking pretty fast, I experienced little inconvenience. From not sufficiently covering my ears, however, I got one of them slightly frostbitten.

Paijas was the only dog we had along with us on this occasion, but he suffered sadly from the cold. This was partly owing to his hair having become thin and ragged, in consequence of his advanced age: none of the native dogs, indeed, even if in their full vigour, are altogether proof against the weather, if it be unusually severe. Their feet seem to be the most affected; for I have many times seen them hold up their legs from the snow, and cry out most pitiably. This

being the case with animals whom Nature has provided with extremely warm jackets, it may be imagined how little able some of our thin-coated English dogs would be to face the rigours of a Northern winter.

I saw this exemplified in two instances. One was an English blood-hound, which Mr. Otway Cave, the Member for Leicester, was so kind as to present to me; the other was a bull-dog that I procured from home. Both of these dogs would, doubtless, have answered my purpose exceedingly well; but they could not exist in the forest if the quicksilver happened to be a few degrees below zero. On one occasion, indeed, the

bull-dog became so benumbed with the cold, that his limbs absolutely stiffened; when, to save his life, I was obliged to cause one of my people, after putting him into a bag, to carry him a distance of some ten miles, to a habitable part of the country.

As it was not full daylight when we reached the vicinity of the ring, we halted, and got up a good fire. This the poor dog seemed most thoroughly to enjoy; to ourselves, likewise, it was far from uncomfortable. Here we took some refreshment, which we needed, as we had breakfasted very slenderly prior to leaving Näs.

This was a little before sunrise, at which period the cold is generally the most intense. Happening to have a thermometer along with me, an ac