Notes from Northern Iceland. 



47 



distributed, in the birch woods. It seems to be the opinion 

 of modern ornithologists that L. hornemanni, Holb., is the 

 ordinary Redpoll of Iceland. Herr Preyer, both in ' Nau- 

 mannia' (1857, i. p. 63) and ' Reise nach Island im Somraer 

 1860" (p. 394), speaks of it as " Fringilla linaria, L." 

 Professor Newton does the same (App. to Baring Gould's 

 'Iceland, its Scenes and Sagas,' 1863), which are all subse- 

 quent to Holboll's article in 'Naturh. Tidsskr.' (iv. p. 398, 

 1843). But iu the last edition of Yarrell's ' British Birds/ 

 Professor Newton conjectures that the prevailing form in 

 Iceland is the Arctic Redpoll (L. hornemanni), and Mr. Dresser 

 (B. of Eur. iv. p. 42) acquiesces in this view, which is based 

 upon an unquestionable specimen from Iceland in Mr. Han- 

 cock's possession. We think, however, that the subjoined 

 measurements, to which are added those of one or two other 

 examples in Slater's collection, will prove that the bird which 

 breeds in Iceland is L. linaria, whilst it is probable that the 

 Arctic Redpoll is only a winter visitor. 



Loc. 



Coll. 



Wing. 



Tail. 



Tarsus. 



Mr. Hancock's Iceland Arctic EedpoU 



Snow-Bunting. [Plectrophanes nivalis.) 



Common. We obtained several nests with eggs. The 

 nest, placed either in a crevice of rock in some wild ravine 

 near the snow-line, or in a heap of loose stones, is clumsily 

 made of short sticks and tufts of wool, and is lined, like 

 nearly all small birds' nests in Iceland, with white Ptarmigan 



