ICELAND 83 



as they are constantly getting in your mouth, you 

 are forced to eat a few of these natural lollipops 

 whether you like them or not. 



Near this camp was a beautiful little colony of 

 Sclavonian Grebes and their nests — six all in a line 

 together. The birds were very tame, and allowed 

 one to approach within six yards without leaving 

 their nests, which they never failed to " cover," 

 however frightened they might be. Not so tame, 

 however, were they as some Red-necked Phalaropes 

 that I came across. Whilst sitting on a big stone 

 making a sketch of the Grebes' nests I became 

 aware of a gentle " cheeping " noise that sounded 

 now near, now far away. Being engrossed in my 

 work, I took no notice of it for some time, when I 

 observed a male Phalarope running busily amongst 

 the rough heather and catching flies, with which 

 his beak was already almost full. Though accus- 

 tomed to the extraordinary tameness of these 

 charming birds, I was not prepared for such fa- 

 miliarity as this little creature exhibited — coming 

 nearer and nearer till he looked up anxiously in my 

 face from the point where my right leg was resting. 

 I kept perfectly motionless, and felt glad that I had 

 not been shifting my position, for presently a little 

 downy ball suddenly leaped up and ran over my 

 boot to his father, who fed him with flies. Now 

 looking down, I saw another youngster lying in the 

 space between my legs, and close beside it a de- 

 pression and broken eggshells showing where the 

 Phalarope's nest had been. In a short time the 

 parent bird, which kept running backwards and 

 forwards all the time catching flies, within a few 

 feet, became so sure of my harmlessness that, after 



