XXVlll PROLEGOMENA 



until I heard from my friend in the West of England, but being 

 confined to the house from indisposition, and wet weather, and 

 having a little spare time, I looked them over this morning. I 

 have little doubt that the eggs which you suppose to be those 

 of the Hooded Merganser, are nothing more than those of the 

 Eed-breasted Merganser, as I find that the bird (M. merganser) 

 is sometimes called Tojipond by the natives of Iceland, as well as 

 the Goosander; in fact these two birds have three or four 

 different Iceland names. I have the Iceland, Lapland, and 

 Greenland names of nearly the whole of the Birds that are ever 

 met with in these countries, which I now and then find of some 

 use in ascertaining the names of any eggs that chance to be 

 marked with the Provincial names. The Iceland Goldeneye of 

 your list is, I presume, Barrow's Duck (C. barrowii, Eich.), which 

 is common in Iceland, and I make no doubt that the eggs which 

 you sent me some time ago also belonged to this bird, and not 

 to the Common Goldeneye. If there is any doubt on the 

 subject, you must be aware that they are of little value in a 

 scientific point of view. 1 



' Are you quite sure that the two eggs which you state to be 

 the eggs of the Bean Goose really belong to this species 1 There 

 are, I believe, four different species of the Genus Anser that 

 breed in Iceland, viz. : — 



Anser segetum. 



„ albifrons. 



„ leucopsis. 



„ ruficollis. 2 

 1 I shall feel obliged if you can conveniently give me any 

 satisfactory information on this subject, and I beg to remain, 

 Yours greatly obliged, T. C. Heysham.' 



1 Barrow's Goldeneye continued to be considered the only Goldeneye 

 found in Iceland, until the researches of the Rev. H. H. Slater proved 

 beyond doubt that both the species of Goldeneye are found in Iceland, 

 though the first mentioned is the dominant species. 



2 The inclusion of the Red-breasted Goose was a mistake. Proctor in- 

 formed Heysham that both the Barnacle and Pink -footed Goose nested in 

 Iceland, whence he had received skins and reputed eggs. It should be 

 borne in mind also that in 1862 the Rev. C. W. Shepherd, F.Z.S., proved 

 that the Grey Lag Goose bred in Iceland (cf. North-West Peninsula of 

 Iceland, p. 141). 



