2 Duchess of Bedford : Nine Days on Grimsey 
by fog for twelve hours when we ought to have been in 
sight of Iceland. I afterwards noticed that during the 
whole of my visit this heavy belt of fog lay some miles off 
the north and east coasts of Iceland when the coast itself 
was in bright sunshine. I am of opinion that could we 
have gone nearer land on arrival we should have run 
through the fog which delayed us, but the risk of such a 
proceeding was too great. 
There are very few birds out at sea at this time of year. 
Puffins were the first to shew us that we were approaching 
land, then Fulmars, Arctic Skuas, Arctic Terns, and Kitti- 
wakes. 
I spent a few hours at an anchorage at the entrance to 
Seydisfjord, and left for Grimsey at 9 p.m. 
Early the following morning we were off Langanes Point, 
the extreme north-east point of the mainland, and had a 
beautifully clear view of the snow-covered mountains of 
Northern Iceland. 
We reached the Island of Grimsey at noon on July 10th. 
Fortunately the wind was E.N.E., an ideal one for this 
anchorage. Grimsey is about 2^ miles long and 1 mile 
wide at the broadest part. The highest cliffs are on the 
north and east coasts. A narrow promontory slopes almost 
down to sea-level on the extreme N.W., and I imagine 
that a landing could be effected there in a S.E. wind. 
The chief landing-places are on the S.W. and W., and 
in the absence of a swell are perfectly easy, but on the 
E. and N.E. of the island landing could only be effected 
with the assistance of a rope. The ground is very undu¬ 
lating and covered with the hummocks so characteristic of 
Northern Iceland (see text-fig. 1, p. 3). 
There are a number of small freshwater lochs, which 
should be a great attraction to passing migrants. At the 
time of my visit snow was still lying in drifts on the shore, 
but it had melted on the higher ground. 
The first birds that I saw on arrival were Snow-Buntings. 
They are as tame and as common round the houses in Grimsey 
as the House-Sparrow is at home. I found one nest with 
