370 IVIessrs. W. E. Clarke and J. Backhouse — Autumn. 



flying S.E. The morning of the 15tli was devoted to an in- 

 spection of the marshy land adjoining the river, and extending 

 for some four miles towards the lake. On tlie numerous 

 sedgy pools Mallard were abundant, but difficult to approach 

 owing to the entire absence of cover ; consequently we only 

 managed to bag a couple. Before these could be retrieved 

 or the gun recharged, a bold little Merlin endeavoured to 

 carry one of tliem off under our very noses. The Golden 

 Plover were now evidently leaving the islands, several parties 

 passing over in a soutli-westerly direction. The only other 

 birds seen were Meadow-Pipits, a few of which were scattered 

 over the pasture-lands of the valley. Next day we observed 

 a solitary Wheatear about the church, the last of the species 

 seen by us in Iceland. Having decided to visit the moun- 

 tain-lakes, which, we were informed, existed to the west, we 

 ascended the escarpment behind ValthjofstaSr, a southern 

 portion of the chain of mountains forming the western flank 

 of the Lagarfljot valley, named on the maps the Fljotsdals 

 liei"Si. After a tough climb of 2500 feet to the summit of 

 one of the many peaks, a sublime panorama lay before us. 

 Away a few miles to the south-west was the noble Snaefell, 

 the grandest and second highest mountain m Iceland (6000 

 feet), with the summit and sides for 3000 feet clothed in 

 perpetual snow. Behind, and trending away far to the south 

 and west, but to all appearances quite close, were the hun- 

 dred sunlit shoulders of Vatna Jokull, the largest glacier in 

 Europe, covering an area of 3000 square miles. North, west, 

 and east the scene was similar to that to the south, all 

 round, except in the immediate foreground, being a series of 

 snowy mountain- peaks, seen to perfection under a cloudless 

 sky. In the western foreground were numerous silvery tarns 

 embosomed in broken hummocky ground, here and there 

 scantily clothed with crowberry, Dryas octopetala, and little 

 tufts of Silene acaulis and the large yellow Saxifraga liir- 

 culus. The few Ducks on the nearest of these lakes had 

 noted our approach, and floated in the middle, well out of 

 reach. On the next and smaller lakelet a couple of Ducks 

 gave us practical illustration of their diving-powers. The 



