VOL. VI.] BIRD-LIFE OF ICELAND. 243 



Black-tailed Godwits [Limosa limosa (L.)) are decidedly 

 local birds in Iceland, and though by no means uncommon 

 in the district which we ^\■orked, are not known to breed 

 in any other part. By a slip of the pen, Slater describes 

 this district as lying in the south-east of the country, 

 although it is more correctly described as the south-west. 

 Whimbrel {Numenius p. phoeopus (L.)) are to be met with 

 almost everywhere. In fact they are so plentiful that the 

 difficulty of finding the nests is materially increased, for 

 one cannot sit down to watch a pair without disturbing 

 others. The eggs are not nearly so conspicuous as might 

 be supposed for their size. Snipe {GaUinago g. gaUinago 

 (L.)) are also common in the wet moorlands. Most of 

 them had already young, and the anxious " chik, chik " 

 of the parent birds was continually heard. 



Only one species of Tern, the Arctic {Sterna paradiscea 

 Briinn.) is known to breed in Iceland. Some of the colonies 

 are of considerable size, and in Videj^ they may be found 

 breeding among the Eider Ducks. The Reykjavik 

 ]Museum contains a fine example of the true " red " type 

 of the egg of this species — the only one I have seen. On 

 the night of June 8th, I noticed that up to 1 a.m. the 

 Arctic Terns Avere hawking away as eagerly as by day. 



Only three species of the true gulls were met with : the 

 Kittiwake {Rissa t. tridacj.yla (L.)), which was breeding in 

 enormous numbers on the Vestmanneyjar; the Glaucous 

 {L. glaucus Briinn.), which was also seen on the Vestmanns 

 as well as at several points on the east coast, and the 

 Great Black-backed {L. marinus (L.)). The last named 

 nests in colonies on the islands in the rivers and lakes. 

 From one colony in a river nearly 200 eggs had been taken 

 by the owner, and w^e obtained a pretty pair of light-blue 

 eggs with one or two grey- violet markings. There is 

 however a much large^^ eclony on an island in a lake 

 from which over 1,200 eggs had been taken for eating 

 purposes ! Great Skuas {Stercorarius s. skua (Briinn.)) still 

 breed in large numbers on the flat lava plains and islands 

 near the mouths of the great rivers east of Eyrarbakki, 



