INTRODUCTION ix 



century a number of zoolof^ical works appeared in rapid 

 succession — Joliann Anderson's Naclirichtcn (1747), 

 Horrebow's Tilforladeligc Efterretninger (1752), Brlin- 

 nich's Ornithologia Borealis (1764), 'Olafsson and Pals- 

 son's Reise (1772), Olavius' Oeconomisk Reyse (1780), 

 and Mohr's Forsog (1786). But ornithology as an 

 exact science began in Iceland with Friedrich Faber, 

 still deservedly venerated in the country as 'Fugle 

 Faber.' His Frodrovms is a careful and, on the whole, 

 reliable compendium, containing a great deal of de- 

 tailed information on birds from his own personal 

 knowledge, and was published in 1822. It (and the 

 following) should be studied by every one who desires 

 to master the subject. Of the numerous works since 

 produced which bear upon it I wish to recommend 

 Preyer and Zirkel's Reise (1862), Shepherd's North- 

 West Peninsula (1867), and, last but not least. Professor 

 Newton's Appendix to Baring-Gould's Iceland, etc. 

 (1863), which I, personally, have found extremely valu- 

 able and suggestive. Of all the papers in the various 

 periodicals, those specially useful will be found to be 

 indicated by an asterisk in the list given on pages xix.- 

 xxiii. I should like, however, to single out for special 

 mention those by Herra Benedikt Grondal, as having 

 been of great service to me. There are a good many 

 works on Iceland which treat more or less of ornitho- 

 logy (as of everything else one can think of) without 

 materially adding to our knowledge of it, though they 

 do provide us with a variety of fancy problems. 



As to Guide-books, there is a very fair one by 



