On Birds observed in Iceland. 237 



give the sex of the bird here described. In phimageit differs 

 conspicuously from the other two species, and it has a de- 

 cidedly more robust bill, whilst the claw on the hind toe is 

 not larger than in Xenicus longipes. 



Xenicus insularis, sp. nov. (Plate VII.) 



Upper surface generally dark olive, with brown margins to 

 the feathers, presenting an obscurely spotted or mottled 

 appearance ; a minute whitish spot in front of and another 

 underneath the eye ; a narrow superciliary streak and the 

 whole of the throat, fore neck, and breast, as well as the 

 wings at their flexure, olivaceous yellow with darker margins ; 

 wings and tail, sides of the body, abdomen, croup, and under 

 tail-coverts olivaceous brown. Plumage underneath plumbe- 

 ous. Upper mandible dark brown with horn-coloufcd tip ; 

 under mandible, legs, and feet pale brown. Length 4 inches ; 

 wing from flexure 2 ; tail 0'75 ; bill along the ridge 0"75, along 

 the edge of lower mandible 0"75 ; tarsus 0"75 ; middle toe and 

 claw Ij hind toe and claw 0*7. 



Hab. Stephens Island, Cook's Strait, N.Z. 



XX. — On Birds observed in Iceland in 1891, with a List of 

 the Species hitherto recorded therefrom. By Henry J. 

 and Charles E. Pearson. 



The localities which have not been explored by British orni- 

 thologists are becoming so few that a short account of our 

 expedition to the Southern Fiskevotn of Iceland — a district, 

 we think, not before visited by Englishmen — may prove of 

 interest. 



We left Reykjavik on June 14th, 1894, with three men 

 and 27 ponies^ and arrived at Galtaloekur, the last farm in 

 this direction, on the 16th. Here we engaged a local guide, 

 Kristofer Jornsen (recommended by Mr. Nielsen, of Eyrar- 

 bakki), who proved to be a most capable man, though, 

 unfortunately, he could not speak English. We left Galta- 

 loekur on the 17th and reached Audavatn, our camping- 

 place in the Fiskevotn, at 8 p.m. on the 18th — a ride of 22 



SER. VII. VOL. I. S 



