BIRDS OF ICELAND 141 



Newton states that on Grimsey it is known as the 

 ' SmiSur ' (Blacksmith). It seems very exceptional in 

 Iceland, however, in summer, and I have only noticed 

 two or three. In considering this phenomenon, it 

 should be borne in mind that immature Fulmars are 

 duskier than adults. 



Puffinus major, Faber. 

 Greater Shearwater. 



Native names : ' Skrofa,' ' Stora Skrofa.' 



A rare vagrant, extending its wanderings to the 

 North Atlantic, even as far as Greenland, where it was 

 reported by Eeinhardt (but without sufficient evidence) 

 to breed. Its breeding-grounds are somewhat of a 

 mystery, and it is more than doubtful if it breeds in 

 the Northern Hemisphere at all. First recorded from 

 Iceland by Faber {Prodromus, pp. 56-57), and no one 

 appears to have seen it since. It occurs oftener on 

 the American side. 



Tiie bird is brown above, darker on the crown, and 

 paler on the back of the neck ; feathers of the mantle 

 and tail-coverts with whitish tips ; tail and wing quills 

 nearly black ; underparts white with a dusky middle 

 to the abdomen. Length 18|^ inches, wing about 

 13 inches. 



