Notes from Northern Iceland. 49 
•j- Merlin. (Falco cesalon.) 
Not nearly so numerous in the north as would seem to be 
the case elsewhere. We never saw the adult birds, but two 
clutches of eggs and four young in down were brought to us. 
Rock- Ptarmigan. (.Lagopus rupestris.) 
Of this bird, which seems generally distributed in fair num¬ 
bers, we obtained specimens—adult, young in down, and eggs. 
We must entirely endorse the remarks of Messrs. Clarke and 
Backhouse (Ibis, 1885, p. 376), as all the specimens which 
came under our notice were normal L. rupestris. The note is 
a croak, very like that of L. alpinus 3 which the male utters con¬ 
tinuously on the wing, as well as intermittently when on the 
ground; and this several times drew our attention to him when 
he might otherwise have escaped notice. The nest is like that 
of the Red Grouse, partly sheltered by a trailing branch of 
dwarf birch or other shrub. The largest clutch of eggs we 
obtained was ten, but one of six was brought to us on July 6, 
very much incubated. 
| Heron. (Ardea cinerea.) 
We saw one near SkagafjorSr. 
Ducks. 
Of these we took eggs ourselves of the Wild Duck, Wigeon, 
Scaup (commonest of all; we once, working independently, 
counted 305 nests of this bird in about an hour on a space of 
three or four acres, all with eggs, after which we stopped 
counting), Barrow’s Goldeneye, Longtail, Pintail, Scoter; 
also of the Merganser. One of us is confident also that he 
saw a pair of Common Goldeneyes near Skagafjdrbr, which 
were swimming in a lake within thirty yards of where he rode 
past them. Other Ducks’ eggs were brought to us with the 
down, amongst which, with the kind help of Mr. Seebohm 
and his collection, we have identified the Teal, possibly the 
Shoveller, the Harlequin, and three eggs of the Gadwall, which 
have only once previously been taken in North Iceland. 
-p Turnstone. (Strepsilas interpres.) 
We never met with this bird ourselves, but an Icelander 
ser. v.— VOL. IV. 
e 
