BIRDS OF ICELAND 15 



have most Icelanders), and there is no recorded 

 instance of their breeding. In recent times, Herra 

 Grondal (VerzeicJm., p. 356) mentions how a pair 

 visited Reykjavik in 1875, and commenced to build 

 a nest, which came to nothing; also an odd bird on 

 May 12, 1881, also near Reykjavik, which was caught. 

 He also mentions {OrmtJi. Bericht, 1887-88, in Ornis, 

 1897, p. 89) that he saw one on June 15, 1887, near 

 Reykjavik, and one the next day. I have heard of no 

 occurrences except in the south. 



Chelidon urbica (Linn.). House Maetin. 



Native name : ' Bsejarsvala.' 



The same remarks apply to this species as to the 

 preceding, except that its occurrences are even fewer. 

 Some birds appear to be far better known in Icelandic 

 literature than the frequency of their appearances in 

 the country would seem to warrant, and have special 

 vernacular names w^hich seem to be universally known. 

 It seems very likely tliat this may be due to their 

 having a well-known place in the poetical literature of 

 the country, which is very extensive, and wherein I 

 must confess my education to have been grievously 

 neglected. This species and the last are examples of 

 birds that every one knows about, though few have 

 seen ; an even stronger one is the Cuckoo, wdiich has 

 never been known to occur in Iceland, and yet few 

 Icelanders will be ignorant (they almost universally 

 have a literary turn) of the Icelandic name of the 



