ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATION IN ICELAND. 309 



yesterday, and, in each case, I believe that the female was 

 demanding food of the male, which she then got, but does not 

 appear to have now, for I do not see her eating anything, and, in 

 a short time, she flies back to the nest. In about a quarter of 

 an hour the male flies, first, onto the top of the nesting-rock, 

 and then onto the ledge itself. I am surprised, as he has not 

 done this before, whilst I have been here, and imagine he is 

 about, for the first time, to take his place on the eggs. He 

 seems, however, nervous and apprehensive, and having advanced 

 a step or two, thinks better of it, and flies away. How natural 

 to attribute this to the presence of the tent ! — but see the event, 

 which suggests another and much more interesting explanation. 

 In a few minutes he returns, comes down upon the ledge again, 

 and after a doubtful moment or two, walks along it, to the eggs, 

 when the female, who has been upon them, all the time, makes 

 a little run out at him, with a more aigre edition than I 

 have yet heard of the sole note these birds seem to have 

 — and at once puts him to flight. This is quite a new develop- 

 ment, for it seems as if the male were wishing to take some share 

 in the incubation of the eggs, but that the female insisted upon 

 engrossing it all to herself. That he is aware, through various 

 similar experiences, of what her feelings may be in the matter, 

 is hardly to be doubted, and the uncertainty of his reception 

 may well account for his evident state of nervous anxiety when 

 approaching the eggs, as well as for his previous retreat. More- 

 over, this conduct of his tallies in an interesting manner with 

 that of the male of a pair of Sparrow-Hawks, which I watched 

 so secretly that they never, I believe, from first to last knew of 

 me at all except as an occasional passer through the plantation, 

 which I generally entered whilst it was still dark, and sat com- 

 pletely shrouded in foliage. This bird, too, seemed to fear the 

 nest, and on the one, or perhaps two, occasions when he de- 

 posited booty there, only just did so and immediately flew away. 

 Anticipating, I may say here that neither of these Merlins 

 seemed to care at all about the tent so long as I was inside it. 

 When they saw me, indeed they were disturbed and that violently 

 — but only with anger and indignation, for as long as I was in 

 the immediate proximity of the gorge, which they considered 

 their property. Once unseen or away from it, they cared not a 



