ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION IN ICELAND. 149 



said to be born twice), as the following letter which I received 

 from a prominent naturalist of Iceland, whose name and indicia 

 I think it better, for some reasons, not to give, will make clear. 

 Perhaps, as I think I have some reason to congratulate myself 

 on the contents, it would be better still not to give the letter, but 

 it contains, with interesting details, what may still be informa- 

 tion to many, and such praise as is accorded me, though I value 

 it, is not of a kind that the world values. Since I have been 

 blamed and — what is more — may have cause to blame myself, in 

 the matter of these Eagles, it is natural and, I think, allowable 

 for me to set forth the per contra. 



Eeykjavik. 



2.2.14. 



" Dear Sir, 



I am very grateful to you for the encouragement you 

 have given to bird-protection in this country. The two articles 

 of yours which were published in . . . were well received, and 

 understood by many of the younger generation. We saw the 

 danger of not protecting the eggs, and of the egg collector, a 

 danger which had been entirely overlooked. Then it was that I, 

 after the advice of our . . . wrote to your Society for Pro- 

 tection of Birds, but got no answer at that time. The letter 

 must have been lost. Later, we got, through Mr. Eirikur 

 Sigurdsson and your aid, valuable information from the Society. 

 Our Parliament sat last summer, and we resolved to get the 

 Bird-Protecting- Act sharpened, and anew one for egg-protecting. 

 We got about four M.P.s, who were entirely convinced, on our 

 side, but the majority had either no opinion or a backward and 

 hostile one. . . . 



But at last we got one Act for both, an Act which protects 

 the eggs of about 20 birds, mostly sparrows (finches ?) and 

 waders. Then the eagle was protected (and its eggs) as we could 

 prove how near it was extinction. ... I thought I had a 

 copy of this Act at home, but, for the moment, I can't find it. 

 But surely you shall get it very soon. 



Now you certainly know that we are not very law-abiding 

 people, and the great question is : How can the Act be protected 

 from being violated ? We have thought about it, and found some 

 hopeful points in the case. . 



