16 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



Cuckoo, ' Gaukr ' — which is Eddaic, and yet, though the 

 bird is non-existent in Iceland, well known to-day. 



Linota linaria (Linn.). Mealy Eedpoll. 



Native name : ' AuSnutitlingur ' (? Desert Twitterer). 



I cannot imagine why this species is so often 

 described as rare in Iceland. It is a common resident 

 in the north (the numbers probably diminished during 

 the winter by partial migration), though less common 

 southwards. Wherever there are birch woods in the 

 north, there you may find the Mealy EedpoU in more 

 or less abundance. I have found it breeding as far 

 south as the Myra Syslu, and Herra Nielsen has had 

 the same experience near Eyrarbakka, in the extreme 

 south-west (see Ornis, 1887, p. 157; Shyrsla, 1894-95, 

 p. 37, etc.) I have seen nests with eggs in Enjoska- 

 dalur, from June 27th. The nest is placed, sometimes, 

 in a fork of a birch tree, five to six feet above the 

 ground; sometimes actually on the ground, like the 

 nest of the Twite [Z. Jiavirostris (Linn.)]. It is made of 

 fine birch twigs mixed with sheep's wool, and lined 

 first with grass and wool, and finally with a profusion 

 of white ptarmigan's feathers — a very neat and beautiful 

 nest. Six eggs are the general number, sometimes 

 there are only five. They are white, spotted, chiefly at 

 the larger end, and often in the form of a zone, with 

 light grey-brown and umber. 



The bird is light buffish-white below, with a sooty 

 chin ; brown above, mingled with white streaks (whence 



