Västerbotten [2]

Västerbotten

6th June. As the level of the river was increasing day by day I placed a stick at the edge of the water at 8 o’clock yesterday evening in order to find out how rapidly it was rising. By 5 o’clock this morning the river had increased c. 2 feet in width and 1 foot in height.

On the river bank, at a place by a slope that was being continuously eroded by the water, I found stones lying on the sand. The sand around them had hardened into stone – more specifically, into a sort of stone that looked as if it had been in contact with rust and which, when broken up, smelled like a gun after a shot has been fired.

The common people claimed to have prophesied last winter that there would be a great flood this summer and that many people with meadows near the river would suffer great damage. It is the case, they stated, that when the river runs very high during the winter a great flood will occur during the following summer and vice versa.

The settlers in Lappmark sow a great many turnips since these grow well there. The Lapps, who are very fond of turnips, often give a cheese in exchange for a turnip, which is stupid .

There was thunder, lightning and rain during the night.

7th June. I departed from Granön quite early in the morning 3nd I noticed that wondrous gelatinous substance on the junipers in the forest – see Polonus’ ‘De morbis regis’ for more about this and its mighty powers.1

I saw here an unusual and as yet undescribed bird. If I remember rightly Professor Rudbeck called it ‘Pica lapponum’ [Lapp magpie]. I observed it through my spyglass and found it to have all the characteristics of a fieldfare and therefore I do not hesitate to call it ‘Turdus’ [thrush] with a red tail that is ash-grey in the middle. What is more, it called and sounded like a thrush, flew like a thrush etc: see the description in my Ornithology.

Towards evening I saw ‘Pluvialis nigra, punctis luteo-viridibus’ [Golden Plover].

I even managed to shoot a black-throated diver, ‘Lumme Wormi’, which I stuffed.

Towards evening I reached STӒRKESMARK and Jämtebol and found there the small, pretty ‘Cameraria’ [Blinks], a plant which I had never seen before. It was growing in great abundance in boggy ground: it is a very small annual plant and was present everywhere in Västerbotten after that.

I had an opportunity here to see the squirrel traps that the Lapps use, and I made one for myself. It consists of a split log and is baited with dried ‘Amanita petiolo bulboso, capitulo purpureo’ [fungus], a piece of which is placed in the split in the log. 2

8th. I departed very early. On the road I saw’ Orchis palmata fl. viridi (rectius pallido)’ [Frog Orchid], which differs from all the others by having a scrotum-shaped honey sack; I thus called it ‘Satyrium’.

All over this district I saw the women feeding their babies from feeding-homs and was amazed that farming folk could not be bothered to suckle the children themselves. No one boiled the milk as that was too much trouble and it is thus no wonder that the children get worms.

I arrived in the town of Umeå at 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

On my way there I saw several big mosquitoes with large black wings jumping in the air. I had earlier taken them to be flies but now changed my mind because of this manner of flying. I received confirmation of this from the balance of the hindquarters and the whole wings. I saw the same creature on the 27th May.