Beasts
The bear
The bear, the book says, is the first of the beasts of the woods. Samuel Rheen calls it king of the woods, because it is stronger and fiercer than the rest. They are many. Those with a white wreath about the neck are fiercer, and many of them are in the north. They go for the cattle and overturn the food laid up in the store. The store is fixed in the top of a tree, for meat and fish. In one night a bear can destroy what has been kept. The store on a cut tree is drawn on the dwellings page. (Schefferus 1674)
The elk
The elk is not the reindeer. The book parts them by size, by shorter horns, by hanging lips, and by a dark yellow and ash colour. The hoofs make no noise, as a reindeer’s do. The book says there is no great breed of them in Lapland. They are brought from elsewhere, especially Lithuania. Olaus says they stay in the south and are run down. The book says that twice a year great herds swim the river it calls Niva, in spring into Karelia and in autumn back to Russia. Charles IX took the skins of those that were killed for the crown. That is the same order as on the fairs page. A few stags have been seen. The book names them and goes on. (Schefferus 1674)
The wolf
Wolves are many. They are paler than elsewhere, and the hair is thicker. They trouble the reindeer most. From the papers of a man the book calls Euræus, it says a wolf did not go for a reindeer tied to a stake. The reason he gives is his own guess. The book says wolves also went for people, and especially for a woman whose time was near. She did not travel without a guide. The glutton the Swedes call Jerff. It goes in the water, and it is not the otter. Beavers are many, because of the fish and the quiet water. Foxes are of several colours. The black is the most valued, because it is rare. The closer list of colours is not copied. (Schefferus 1674)