BIRDS OF ICELAND 103 



and are a reduced copy of the Whimbrel's egg. Their 

 length is nearly ly\ inches. 



The Sanderling was seen on Grimsey in June 1820 

 by Faber. In 1860 an egg was offered to Preyer. 

 Proctor saw the Sanderling on Grimsey, also, in 1837, 

 and subsequently had eggs sent to him which were 

 said to be Sanderlings'. I recollect some of these in 

 his possession — they struck me as being those of the 

 Einged Plover. Professor Newton also mentions this 

 bird's eggs being made to do duty for those of the 

 Sanderling. 



The Sanderling in summer dress has a chestnut head 

 and neck; back dark brown, the feathers edged with 

 chestnut and tipped with white. Shoulder black (it 

 shows very conspicuously in flight, in all stages of 

 plumage). Length 8 inches, wing 4f inches. The 

 winter dress, and young bird's first autumnal dress, 

 are entirely different from the summer plumage. The 

 food consists of small insects, Crustacea, worms, minute 

 mollusca ; up country, in breeding quarters, they seem 

 glad to eat small buds of Arctic plants, as they doubt- 

 less get there before minute animal life has quite 

 awakened from the long winter. 



[Machetes pugnax (Linn.). Euff. 



Native name : ' 'Aflogakragi ' or ' Kragi.' 



According to Faber (Frodromus, p. 30) a female was 

 shot near Reykjavik early in September 1820. Grondal 

 adds, ' not noticed since,' and in Verzeichnus he puts 



