Ad99998 04 082a/eng
Nordische Merkwürdigkeiten
Beschreibungstext eng
Miscell. Subj. XLVI. Vol. IV. No. 80., NORTHERN CURIOSITIES., Fig. 1. Fowling in the Orkney and other Northern islands., An the Orkney and other rocky islands of the Arctic Pole nature has but fparingly provicied for the fuhfiftance of the inhabitants. Their principal food consists in fish, fea-fowl and their eggs. Nothing f urpaff es the boldness of fowling in this island. The bir. Imen cîimb under thoufand dangers on long pôles from cliff to cliff, or descend on ropes to enormons depths. They are also amazingly expert and dexterous in piercing into the crevices and précipices and in feizing, especially in the hatching time, the black backed gull, the âiver and the fooUfh Guillemot along with their young-ones, and eggs. If the rocks are too distant from one another, as it is the café in the island Noss represented in the annexed picture (Fig. 1.) they throvv with the utmost dexterity a rope on the oppofite rock and faftening'i a fort of wooden feat to it, they descend by the help of some cords and puileys to which fide they pleafe. Many indeed perish in this dargerons chace but cuftom and neceffity encourage the remaining to defv every danger., Fig. 2. The Geyser and Heckla in Iceland., In the large north on Island of Tcehnd the anima! and vegetable création offer no particular curiufities but the more striking ave the productions of the minerai création. The whole island feenis to be undermined witli fubterranean volcances which breaking out in many places form warm and hot fprings and feas, break through the eternal fnow ami fields of ice and produce every where the most striking phaenomèna; but nothing is more worth of attention than the warm fpring of the Geyser (Fig. 2.) on the southern part of the island, not far from the Volcano which is seen in the back ground. At certain timcs a dull rufhing-like that of a diftant torrent is heard under the bafon of the Geyser which is soon followed by a noife very like the firing of a canon, whereupon a thick and mighty column of hot boiling water fpouts to the height of 100 feet and more fending forth at the lame time pièces of rocks which are thrown round to a great diftance. When the fun fhines on the Geyser the rifing vapours produce a kind of rainbow which highly increacesthe beauty of this majestick spectacle.
