26 Proceedings. 



reach the height of twenty feet, Messrs. Backhouse and Clarke 

 met with the Eock Ptarmigan (Lagojnis rupestris), a species 

 almost entirely confined to Iceland and Greenland. They 

 obtained a fine series of skins during the month of September, 

 1884, and established the fact that this bird passes through 

 no intermediate stage of grey between the summer and winter 

 plumage. Most of the migrants had left Iceland before Sep- 

 tember, those met with being the Wheatear, White Wagtail, 

 and Golden Plover. 



Mr. Backhouse obtained skins of the Long-tailed Duck, 

 Wigeon, Teal, and Mallard ; he did not meet with Barrow's 

 Goldeueye, known only as European from Iceland. The 

 Great Auk formerly bred on a rock to the west of Iceland, on 

 which it is now almost impossible to land. Mr. Backhouse was 

 informed that forty years ago six Great Auks were brought 

 into Eeikavik in a sack, which occurrence probably ranks 

 amongst the latest records of this now probably extinct bnd. 



At Thorshaven, in the Faroe Islands, Oystercatchers were 

 in large flocks on the moors. Eock Pipits were abundant, 

 and the Northern Wren (Troglodytes horealis) was obtained. 

 The climate of the Faroes is most dismal ; the Gulf Stream 

 divides and surrounds the islands, and during three-quarters 

 of the year the islands are enveloped in mist. The plants 

 blossoming on the Faroes in September were Armeria maritima, 

 Lychnis ftos-cucuU, Erica tetralix, and Calluna vulgaris. 



Amongst plants noticed in Iceland was a Gentian similar to 

 G. campestris, but more branching ; Gentiana nivalis was met 

 with sparingly. The most abundant species were Dryas octo- 

 petala (on the leaves of which the Eock Ptarmigan live during 

 the winter), Silene acaulis, and Empetrum nigrum; Saxifraga 

 Hirculus was plentiful. The chief exports of Iceland are 

 sheep, horses, eider-down, shark's-liver oil, sulphur, and fish 

 (chiefly Cod). 



Mr. Backhouse exhibited skins of most of the birds named 

 above. 



