placed at great diftances from each other, were beheld heaped
together in one crowd. There appeared no marks o f regular
combination and defign: all was a dead confulion.
Having traverfed the lake o f Haga, we palled very near the
country houfe o f the queen dowager Ulrica, called Ulrickfdale.
It had been before the feat o f Count John de Gardie, but was
purchafed by the queen dowager Ulrica Eleanora in the reign o f
Charles XI. In this retreat the queen enjoyed that peace and
tranquillity which ulually fly from the palaces o f the great. Beyond
Ulrickfdale nothing occurred that was in the leaft intereft-
ing the whole way to Griflehamn, a diftance from Stockholm of
not lefs than fixty-nine Engliih miles. The face o f the country
cannot be faid to be either flat or hilly : it is unequal ground, but
riling and falling by gentle fwells. T he eye, fatigued by the
dazzling whitenefs o f the lnow, repoles itfelf with pleafure on the
dark green o f the pines, which are often met with throughout
the whole o f the journey. What am ufed us moll was to lee foxes
here and there Handing or walking about on the highway without
any apparent folicitude for their lafety. W e were alloniihed
to find this quadruped fo incautious, and fo devoid o f that lagacity
and prudence which is the charadleriflic o f the lpecies. The bu-
finels for which thole animals come to the highway we difcovered
to be no other than to eat the new-dropped dung o f the horfes
that paffed. If, while they were in learch or poffeffion o f this, a
fledge happened to go by, they would only leap over to the other
fide o f the ditch,, and turn about and keep a conltant eye on the
equipage,
equipage, or whatever or whomfoever they confidered as objects o f
ju ll fufpicion and danger, without moving farther off, even though
a man ihould come within thirty or forty paces o f them. I f the
fledge flopped, then they would immediately betake themfelves
to fligh t; but if any one whiffled, the fox would Hop ihort, turn
about, and for a few feconds look the perlon in the face. A fportf-
man, having a fowling piece with him in his fledge, would have
an opportunity o f taking a tolerably fure aim, and doing great
execution among them merely by means o f whiffling. W e were
not without fowling pieces; but our pelices, a certain lazinels
and heavinels with which we were overwhelmed (the effect, no
doubt, o f the climate), and the conftraint we were under from
the necefiity o f accommodating our pofture to the movement o f
the fledge, all confpired to make Ihooting at a mark no eafy matter.
Befides the report o f our pieces might have frightened the
horfes.
It is alleged by fome, that the foxes o f the North are o f a different
fpecies from thofe o f England, and that thofe o f the latter
are larger, more cunning, and wilder than thofe o f the former.
Without pretending to decide this quellion, I ihall only obferve,
that the prudence o f northern animals is often overcome by extreme
hunger, and that the cold in Great Britain is never fo long
nor lo intenfe as to reduce them to fuch extremity. As to
their Hopping Ihort in the midft o f their flight, on hearing a
whiffle, I could never learn or conjedlure what fenfation or idea
this could excite in them. Being to them an unufual found, they
A a 2 no