THE FAROES AND ICELAND 271 



Number of Gannets at Myggenoes. — Mr. Barrington 

 estimated the Myggenses Gannets at 1500 in 1892, and 

 after consulting Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown and Mr. Jens 

 Olsen, I think that is as good a guess as is likely to be 

 made. If 600 young ones were taken annually that would 

 mean nearly 1200 parents, allowing that a few might 

 breed twice, and some nests would be inaccessible.* 



Iceland. 



The Early History of its Gannets. — It might be expected 

 that there would be occasional mentions of the Gannet in the 

 " Saga " literature of Iceland, but I learn from Mr. Eirikr 

 Magnusson that such is not the case. No periphrases, such 

 as bring it into the Saxon Chronicle, occur in the ancient 

 poems, nor are there any allusions to its name, so far as he 

 is aware, in these legends of the north. Mr. Magnusson, how- 

 ever, gives me to understand that there is one early MS. in 

 which the Gannet is referred to, and that is the " Eddubrot " 

 (a fragment of the Snorra Edda) — Cod.membr. Arnamagnae — 



* In May, 1894, an Albatros {Diomedea melanophrys, B.) was shot on 

 the Holm of Myggenaes while sitting among the Gannets (" R.P.S.," Edin., 

 XIII., p. 92) ; it was believed to have spent many summers with these 

 Gannets, and was even locally known as the " Sulkongo " or Gannet King 

 The reason given to Mr. Harvie-Brown for shooting it, was that it acted 

 as a sentinel, and prevented the Myggenaes men from getting their 

 required tale of Gannets {" Zoologist," 1894, p. I{37). 



