5 
and the North-east Coast of Iceland. 
birds. They may have been concealed beneath the boulders, 
but I doubt whether they would be sitting so closely in 
the middle of July. 
There were a great many Purple Sandpipers on the 
island, but, though I met with parties of tliem some distance 
from the shore, I could not see any which looked like 
young birds, nor did they seem to be paired. Amongst the 
rocks on the shore were a few Turnstones, and in a little bay 
a pair of Grey Phalaropes. I saw these beautiful little 
birds repeatedly during my visit and regretted that I could 
not afford the time to watch them and ascertain whether 
they were nesting. As, however, they were a pair and 
never left the bay in which I first noticed them, I think it 
is more than likely that at this date (July 10th) they were 
not passing visitors. 
On the high ground Golden Plovers and Meadow-Pipits 
were breeding, as I found nests of both. 
I also saw two male Teal on a loch, a pair of Mallards 
and a pair of Ravens on the cliffs. The Great Skua, Arctic 
Skua, Gannet, and Great Black-backed Gull were the only 
other birds noted during my visit. 
The whole island is covered with short grass and moss, 
and the inhabitants have no crops of any description. There 
are about fifteen inhabited houses, and 1 estimate that each 
contains an average of not less than six inmates. The people 
have a good many sheep, seven cows, and three ponies. There 
are two or three wooden houses, but most of them are made 
of turf. A few large stones are mixed with the turf, for the 
foundations, and the front of the main entrance is generally 
made of wood. I was invited into one of them, the entrance- 
passage of which was so dark that I had to feel my way. 
Probably for the sake of warmth this passage turned at right 
angles, and a door led into the principal living-room. It was 
lined v ith wood and was almost filled by four w r ooden box bed¬ 
steads, on which was piled a great deal of disorderly bedding. 
The room, however, was clean, and so were the inhabitants, 
more or less. The remaining rooms, a pantry and what 
might be called by courtesy a kitchen and storeroom com¬ 
bined, were made entirely of turf. On the floor was lying 
