68 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



breeding station in Iceland of all the northern 

 wildfowl. The route from the Skalfandi Laxa to 

 Myvatn winds in and out of rocky mountains. By 

 midnight we had reached the lake, and rode along 

 its reeded shores enjoying the landscape. Away 

 to the north the blue waters, studded with green 

 islands big and little, stretched for some ten miles, 

 the water-line on the horizon being bounded by 

 low, rocky mountains. Altogether the whole place 

 reminded me strongly of our own Scotch paradise 

 of the ducks, Loch Leven, and I looked instinctively 

 for the romantic old castle and the Reed Bour. 

 Thorgrimmer guided us to a spot where the Skal- 

 fandi River, here much reduced in size, leaves the 

 lake and, passing through a series of long pools, 

 becomes gradually a rushing river. In these 

 miniature lakes were congregated hundreds of 

 Scaup and Long-tailed Ducks, and amongst them a 

 goodly sprinkling of other species, such as Mallard, 

 Teal, Wigeon, Pintail and Barrow's Golden-eye. 

 On the big lake I noticed two or three pairs of 

 Whooper Swans, Sclavonian Grebe, Great Northern 

 Divers and Black Scoter. 



While erecting the tents, a charming old lady, 

 part-owner of the farm, came to pay her respects 

 to my sister, whom she seemed to regard with the 

 most intense curiosity, being the first English lady 

 she had ever seen. We were all dead tired, yet she 

 refused to take the hint that we would show her 

 all our curiosities in the morning; so we went off 

 to bed, leaving my sister to the tender mercies of 

 the old lady's questions. After a bit, Mary could 

 stand it no longer, and retired to her Wolsely 

 mattress, and sinking into slumber, had faint 



