Neste: 1.2.4 Ulv (Canis lupus)
Opp: 1.2 Dyrelivet
Forrige: 1.2.2 Fjellrupe (Lagopus mutus)
«The ground that the Skipper tried to-day seemed a first-rate reindeer fjeld; this means an uneven tract of mountain country, too high for vegetation, expect occasional reindeer flowers and patches of gentian, but not high enough to be entirely covered with perpetual snow: this fjeld - where it is not snow - is made of rocks large and small, from the size of a haystack to that of road metal, some of them firm, but mostly loose, jagged, and sharp; the winter snow and frost leave them in this conditions by continually splitting and re-splitting them: they are dark grey in colour, and at a distance look almost black. What the reindeer can find attractive in such a place, possibly some one can tell; we cannot. There is apparently nothing for any beasts of the field to eat up there; but if you do happen to find deer before they see you, they are certain to be feeding, and Esau thinks they are eating the rocks; but the Skipper says it cannot be so, and inclines more to the theory that they are feed on their `young,' like tame rabbits, or, possibly on their own blood, like the pelican of the wilderness. As for the reindeer flower, which is supposed to be their staff of life, it averages about half a stalk to the square acre, but possibly it is possessed of many highly nutritious qualities, and a little of it goes a long way. Anyhow they thrive on their food, whatever it may be; they are always very fat, and uncommonly good to eat when you chance to slay one.»
-Three in Norway by two of them[3]1.1
Dette skreiv to engelskmenn som saman med ein tredje var på tur i
Jotunheimen i 1880. Beskrivinga er ganske god, og
at eit så stort dyr kan leva i store flokkar i eit område med
tilsynelatande så lite mat, kan forundre mange. Så at dyra lever på
grensa av kva som er mogleg er opplagt for dei fleste. Derfor er det
særs viktig at turgåarar som er så heldig å få sjå rein, er forsiktige
slik at dyra ikkje vert uroa. Dersom ein vil studere dei nøyare, får
ein bruke kikkerten, istaden for å prøve å koma nærare.
©Asle Feten (Heimeside) (e-post)