CHAPTER i t
Excurfion from Muonionifca to Mount Pallas, and Keimio- Tunduri
— Rivers Muonio and Jeres— Pleajing Scenery about the latter—
Different Terms o f the Finlanders fo r a Mountain, according to
its peculiar Quality— Profpeci from Keimio-Tunduri— Mount Pallas
inacceffible— Face of the Country— Snow on Mount Pallas,
and Ice on a Lale— Some ObjeSls in Natural Hijlory colledled.
Sl DAY and a night fpent at Muonionifca ferved to recover
us from the fatigue of our late journey, and the following
morning we found ourfelves difpofed to make an excurfion into
the country. Our honelt paribn was our guide in this expedition.
He made an excellent fellow traveller, accommodated himfelf to
every thing ; and what rendered him ilill more agreeable to us,
was, that we found him by no means a mere novice in the pur-
fuits of natural hiftory. Dr. Quenzel, who made the fame tour,
had him for his companion, and inftruded him- in différent particulars
: he was, for inilance, no ftranger to the names o f certain
infeds, fuch as the coccinella trfafciata, and the cureulio areticus ;
in the department of ornithology he knew the motacilla fuecica,
the turdus. rofeus ; and in that of fifhes, the falmo alpina.
W e direded our courfe towards Mount Pallas. The name of
this
this mountain feemed to us rather extraordinary, but our friend
the parfon was unable to explain its meaning, nor could he ever
give us any thing like a plaufible etymology of the term. Our
defign in this excurfion was to have a view of the furrounding
country from the top of that mountain, to colled, as we went
along, plants, birds, infeds, and ihells from the bed of the river ;
to make a drawing of any pidurefque objed th a t might prefent
itfelf, and to fall in with fome wandering Laplander watching
his rein-deer, which palture in the glens and vallies of thofe
mountains. W e had no choice as to our manner of travelling,
and were obliged to proceed by water to the very 'foot of the
mountain. Having failed down the river Muonio, we went up
the fmall river Jeres, which runs into the Muonio, three miles
from Muonionifca. This little river flows for the greateft part in
a peaceful flream, and ipreading itfelf at certain ihort intervals,
forms charming little lakes, traverfing a country the moll pleaf-
ing and diverfified poffible. Birds, and elpecially wild-ducks,
fwarm on this river, and afforded us a very lingular kind of fport.
In certain places the channel becoming narrow, the willows and
other trees of the oppofite banks unite and entwine their branches,
fo as to compofe a fpecies of bower, which fkreened us from the
rays of the fun. The wild-ducks frequently flew into thofe re-
ceffes, but not thinking it prudent to venture far amongll the
trees, made a precipitate re tre a t: on their return they palled directly
over our head, and offered us the bell opportunity poffible
for ffioQting. This river exhibited the finefl: fcenery a painter
could