90 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



island, from one of which I have eggs and a skin of an 

 adult bird in breeding plumage. Most of these breed- 

 ing-places are either on the margin of a fresh-water 

 lake, or on an islet in a fjord, and, with one ex- 

 ception, are all near enough to the sea to allow the 

 birds to feed on the sea-shore, w^hich they regularly do. 



The nest of the Grey Phalarope is placed in or under 

 a tuft of sedge or grass near the water's edge, and is 

 usually well concealed ; the material is grass, and the 

 nest is unusually neatly finished for a Wader. The 

 eggs are four in number, light greenish buff in colour, 

 spotted and blotched with dark brown, and in length 

 30*5 to 30"33 mm., i.e. ly\ to ly^- inches. 



The Grey Phalarope is blackish above, with a white 

 patch on the side of the head and a white bar on the 

 wing, the feathers of the shoulder and scapulars 

 broadly bordered with buff, underparts from the chin 

 dull chestnut. The winter plumage is entirely differ- 

 ent, being chiefly light grey and black. Length about 

 8 inches, wing 5J inches. Males rather duller in 

 colour and smaller. I may remark that none of the 

 examples that I have seen from Iceland are in ab- 

 solutely perfect breeding dress, like those from farther 

 north (c.ff. a skin I have from Point Barrow in Alaska, 

 or one Mr. Trevor-Battye got in Spitzbergen and lent 

 to me some time back). Their state of plumage may 

 be likened to that of breeding Golden Plovers in 

 England as compared to that of those shot from the 

 nest in Iceland. All migrant species seem to put on 

 the richest nuptial dress in the northernmost part of 



