Notes from Northern Iceland. 49 



Merlin. {Falco cesalon.) 



Not nearly so numerous in the north as would seem to be 

 the case elsewhere. We never saw the adult birds, but two 

 clutches of eggs and four young in down were brought to us. 



Rock- Ptarmigan. [Lagopus rupestris.) 



Of this bird, which seems generally distributed in fair num- 

 bers, we obtained specimens — adult, young in down, and eggs. 

 We must entirely endorse the remarks of Messrs. Clarke and 

 Backhouse (Ibis, 1885, p. 376), as all the specimens which 

 came under our notice were normal L. rupestris. The note is 

 a croak, very like that of L. alpinus ,^\\\c\x the male utters con- 

 tinuously on the wing, as well as intermittently when on the 

 ground; and this several times drew our attention to him when 

 he might otherwise have escaped notice. The nest is like that 

 of the Red Grouse, partly sheltered by a trailing branch of 

 dwarf birch or other shrub. The largest clutch of eggs we 

 obtained was ten, but one of six was brought to us on July 6, 

 very much incubated. 



Heron. {Ardea cinerea.) 

 We saw one near Skagafjor^r. 



Ducks. 



Of these we took eggs ourselves of the Wild Duck, Wigeon, 

 Scaup (commonest of all ; we once, working independently, 

 counted 305 nests of this bird in about an hour on a space of 

 three or four acres, all with eggs, after which we stopped 

 counting), Barrow's Goldeneye, Longtail, Pintail, Scoter; 

 also of the Merganser. One of us is confident also that he 

 saw a pair of Common Goldeneyes near Skagafjor^r, which 

 were swimming in a lake within thirty yards of where he rode 

 past them. Other Ducks' eggs were brought to us with the 

 down, amongst which, with the kind help of Mr. Seebohm 

 and his collection, we have identified the Teal, possibly the 

 Shoveller, the Harlequin, and three eggs of the Gadwall, which 

 have only once previously been taken in North Iceland. 



Turnstone. {Strepsilas interpres.) 



We never met with this bird ourselves, but an Icelander 



SER. v. VOL. IV. E 



