112 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



harbour at Heimaey in the Vestmannaeyjar on June 3, 

 1900, and three or four more between there and 

 Reykjavik. 



The Kittiwake is the only Gull it is likely to be 

 confused with in Iceland, but that bird has always 

 dark legs and feet (immature examples a black bill 

 also). The Kittiwake is, besides, slenderer built, and 

 has no hind toe. 



The Common Gull has the back and wings grey, 

 primaries blackish at their ends, rest of the body 

 white ; legs and feet greenish yellow. In winter and 

 in immature plumage the head is mottled with grey- 

 brown. Length 18i inches, wing 14 inches. 



Larus marinus, Linn. 

 Greater Black-backed Gull. 



Native names : ' Svart-bakur,' ' VeiSi-bjalla ' (this ap- 

 pears to mean ' hunting-bell,' which seems to 

 suggest the cumbrous and, to us, meaningless 

 periphrases of early Icelandic poetry); for the 

 immature bird, ' Kafla - bringur ' ( = ' Spotted 

 breast '). 



Resident and common, breeding from the sea-coast 

 to the lakes of the desert interior. The nest is placed 

 on a sea-cliff, skerry, or an islet in an inland tarn ; the 

 eggs (three in number, or only two) are rather variable 

 in size, but average three inches in length ; their colour 

 is stone-buff and they are spotted with dark blue-grey 

 and umber brown. 



