1938.1 On the Birds of North-East Iceland. 129

placed only four to five feet from the ground. The clutch numbers three to six, and the eggs are similar to those of Passer domesticus, save that there is a tendency to heavy blotching and a clearer ground. On two occasions I have found a pale blue faintly-spotted egg in their nests closely resembling that of one of the smaller Weavers ; and as I also shot a specimen of Anomalospiza imberbis coming out of one of these Sparrow’s nests, it may be that the eggs were of this species. A . irnberbis has long been known to be parasitic on some species of Cisticolas, but so far none of the other Passerines has been known to act as hosts.

Gymnoris pyrgita massaiea Neum. Although I have never seen this Rock-Sparrow in the

neighbourhood of rocks, it is a common resident in the Kara- mojan thorn-scrub. It breeds, as soon as the rains are well advanced, in deserted Woodpeckers’ and Barbets’ holes in the rotten branches of a dead tree. The hole has a lining of dry grass, feathers, hair, or any soft material, though not in any great quantity. The eggs are a uniform dark mottled brown.

VII1.-Notes on the Birds of North-East Iceland. BY ALASTAIR MORRISON, M.B.O.U.

(Test-figure 1.)

OF recent years a considerable amount of work has been done on the birds of Iceland, but comparatively little in the extreme north-east of the island. Last summer (1936) I was able to make a fairly lengthy visit to that part of the island, with the aid of a very generous grant for that purpose from my College (Trinity, Cambridge), and I hope that a very brief account of some of the birds I saw there may prove to be of interest. I arrived a t Reykjavik on 17 June and reached Akureyri

two days later by bus. After a day or two in the latter town I proceeded by boat to Kopasker, a small settlement in the south-western part of Melrakka Sletta. Bird-life was rather

SER. XW.-VOL. 11. I(

130 Mr. A. Morrison on the [Ibis,

scarce here. Kopasker is situated in a sandy moorland plain, ringed with low, denuded brown hills. On 2 July I went on by lorry to the farm of OddsstaZSir in the extreme north- west of Melrakka Sletta, where I spent nearly three weeks. Melrakka Sletka is almost entirely composed of flat, tussocky moorland, with many lakes, particularly in the east. The lakes close to the sea are the main breeding ground of the Eider- Duck, the collecting of whose down forms a most important source of revenue to the farmers. In the west there are cliffs whelte the volcanic mass of Raudinupur meets the sea, and here there are a good many breeding sea-birds. The climate is unpleasant, with a prevalence of raw, damp days with strong winds. There is of course an entire lack of shelter, and the vegetation is of the most stunted nature.

It has been suggested that Melrakka Sletta might prove t o be the breeding ground of such rarities as the Knot, Sanderling, and Icelandic Wren. I saw no signs of any of these birds, and I see no reason why they should be more likely to occur in Melrakka Sletta than anywhere else in Iceland. It is possible, however, that the winter visitors might prove to be both interesting and abundant,for the winters are comparatively damp and mild, with little snow.

On 22 July I crossed the Sletta to Raufarhofn by horse, where I spent a few days examining the numerous lakes to the west. I spent the evening of the 28th a t the farm of Ormaslon, and the next afternoon continued by horse to SvalbarZS across broken hilly country. On the 30th I reached Porshofn a t the base of Cape Langanes. I did not penetrate far into the latter, which consists almost entirely of rolling moorland, a type of terrain where bird-life is singularly scarce. There are, however, some fairly high hills in the south-east, and the farm of SanBanes is of interest as being one of the biggest Eider-Duck farms in Iceland.

On 2 and 3 August I continued by horse to SkeggyastaBir, and by foot to Vopnafiortiur. The country is not very interesting. There are no high hills, and the route consists largely of alternating moorland and sandy coastal flats.

I was now anxious to see something of the interior, and on 4 August I walked up a shallow, rather marshy valley to

1938.1 Birds of North-East Iceland. 131

Hauksstabir. The next day I continued partly by pony and partly on foot to Grimsstabir, close to the Jokuls& River. For the first ten miles or so the bridle track led through lofty moorland, which gradually deteriorated into black, hilly, lava desert for the latter two-thirds of the way. On 6 August I was ferried across the JokulsB and walked to Reykjalib on Lake Myvatn, skirting a great lava field for most of the day. After a day or two a t Skutusstabir I went to Akureyri.

On 11 August I went by bus to Skinnastabir, close to the remarkable volcanic rift of Asbyrgi. Skinnastadir is a sheltered spot with the most luxuriant growth of birch-scrub that I saw anywhere in Iceland.

On the 14th I returned to Akureyri, spent a, few days in Skutusstaair, and on the 20th and 21st travelled by car and boat to porshofn. Here I was able to take an Icelandic trawler on the 25th, and after buying fish the next day at some fishing settlements in Langanes and BackafiorBur, we sailed for Grimsby, which we reached on the evening of the 30th.

The next day I rode to Dettifoss.

Corvus eorax tibetanus Hodgson. Iceland Raven. Abundant all along the coast and comparatively tame,

It does not appear to be molested by the inhabitants.

Plectrophenax nivalis insulae Salomonsen. Snow-Bunting. There were four or five pairs breeding among stones along

the shore a t Kopasker, and in Melrakka Sletta it was a common species in rocky places, but never far from the shore.

Troglodytes troglodytes islandieus Hartert. Iceland Wren. One seen on 13 August in birch-scrub about one mile south

of Skinnastabir.

Faleo rusticolus islandus Briinn. Iceland Falcon. I saw Falcons on about ten occasions in various places in

the north-east of the island. One remote nest which I visited late in the season had the marks of iron staples beneath it. I saw the parent birds close to the nest. I think that there can be no doubt whatever that the Iceland Falcon has decreased very considerably within recent years. I nowhere found it

K 2

132 Mr. A. Morrison on the [Ibis,

common, and most of the farmers I met (all of whom knew the bird well) had the same story of its present rarity. It is of interest to note that while W. M. Congreve and S . W. P. Freme saw Falcons " almost daily )) at Skutusstaair in 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Haig-Thomas, who spent most of the summer near Myvatn this year, saw the bird only on two occasions near the lake.

Falco columbarius subsesalon Brehm. Merlin. I saw Merlins a t nearly every locality which I visited.

Phalacrocorax carbo carbo (L.). Cormorant. Two odd birds seen at Kopasker, and one at porshofn on

3 1 July.

Cygnus cygnus islandicus Brehm. Iceland Whooper-Swan. Swans are fairly common in Melrakka Sletta. I saw two

pairs with young, and a t least thirty-six in various-sized parties on other lakes. On 3 and 4 August there were thirty on a sea-loch just north of Vopnafioraur. On 5 August I saw a pair with four cygnets on a lake between Hauksstaair and Grimsstaair.

Somateria mollissima. Eider-Duck. By far the most common bird in Melrakka Sletta. They

nest mainly on small islands in lakes close to the sea, and the collection of their down forms an important source of revenue for the farmers. There are nine Eider-Duck farms in the Sletta between Leirhofn and Raufarhiifn, with an approximate total yield at present of 500 pounds of cleaned down. Reckon- ing on the basis of thirty-two nests, a minimum figure, to the pound, with an allowance of 25 per cent. for nests not found, this would give a very approximate total of 20,000 breeding pairs.

At one time the yield was very much greater, probably double this figure. It is possible to obtain a very good idea of the relative fluctuations in yield, as every farmer must make an annual return to the local Sheriff or Sheriffs man of the produce of his farm. I n most cases the returns are

1938.1 Birds of North-East Lceland. 133

said to be faked to some extent, but they probably vary to the same extent each year, and certainly form a minimum figure.

In Langanes I was able to obtain the figures for the yield from the Eider-Duck farms there over a period of years which are most interesting and, I believe, accurate. I have plotted these figures in the form of a graph (text-fig. 1). I am quite unable to account for the steady decrease since 1928.

Text-figure 1.

Figures for 1936 were not available, but will, I believe, show a slight increase over 1935. A large proportion of the Langanes down comes from one very large farm, Sanbanes, which in 1911 and 1919 had a yield of no less than 400 pounds.

Hsematopus ostralegus L. Oyster-catcher. Quite common along the stone-covered beaches of the

extreme north-east,. I saw three at Kopasker, about ten a t OddstaBir, and a good many at Raufarhofn. They were mostly in pairs, and nearly all behaved as if they were breeding.

134 Mr. A. Morrison on the [Ibis,

Arenaria interpres interpres (L.). Turnstone. A small party of five, all in breeding plumage save one,

seen frequently near Kopasker between 24 June and 1 July.

Calidris maritima maritima (Briinn.). Purple Sandpiper. Extremely common in the north-east. Small parties were

to be seen everywhere along the shore, and also along the borders of lakes. It is said to breed only a t high altitudes, but in the north of the Sletta I found it a common breeding species close to the shore, and I never saw any signs of breeding more than about a mile from the sea. In one area along about three miles of coast I saw six lots of young birds. I never searched especially for them, but had I done so I am sure I could have found a great many more. I was too late for eggs, and the young ones I saw varied from downy chicks to birds not quite able to fly.

Sterna maerura Naum. Arctic Tern. Extremely abundant everywhere. There was a heavy

mortality among young birds of this species, noticeably after three very cold, wet days, 3, 4, and 5 July, which came after a period of very fine weather. I found large numbers of dead young ones in three colonies near Oddstatiir. Most of the dead birds were only partly feathered, but some of them were fully fledged. All the birds examined were very thin. So heavy was the mortality that after 5 July I saw practically no live young ones a t all, and the few I did see were all very feeble .

Larus marinus L. Greater Black-backed Gull. A very common breeding bird in Melrakka Sletta. There

were a few pairs on practically every lake, and quite a number on the stack off Rautiinupur. On some islands in Ranfar- fafnarvotn, west of Raufarhofn, there is an immense colony. Here the eggs are taken, but elsewhere the bird does not seem to be molested a t all. I should have thought that they were extremely harmful to young Eider-Duck, but the farmers do not seem to bother about them. I personally saw no sign of their attacking young Eider, but the latter were already a fair size when I reached the north of Melrakka Sletta.

1938.1 Birds of North-East Iceland. 135

Lam argentatus argentatus Pontopp. Herring-Gull. On 17 July I saw a solitary bird near Oddsta8ir, and I saw

odd birds repeatedly in the harbour a t Raufarhofn. On 29 July I found where the latter came from, a spit of rock at the western extremity of Sulur, which is a rocky headland about five miles south-east of Raufarhofn. Here I am sure there was a mixed breeding colony of Greater Black-backed, Glaucous, and Herring-Gulls. There were at the very least twenty adults of each of these species wheeling and screaming overhead, and I saw a good many young ones. I had very liOtle time a t my disposal and I could not obtain final proof that the Herring-Gulls were breeding. I regard it, however, as very improbable that this was anything save a breeding colony. Anyone going to Iceland in the spring by the east coast route would have plenty of time to verify the point during the ship’s call a t Raufarhofn. A motor-boat could be taken to the farm of Ormarslon, and the spit is about twenty minutes’ walk from there. All the old nests I saw were easily accessible.

Larus hyperboreus Gunn. Glaucous Gull. A few seen in the fjord a t Akureyri and a t Oddstaair,

and a probable breeding colony on Sulur, near Raufarhofn.

Larus ridibundus ridibundus L. Black-headed Gull. A single bird with fully developed hood seen a t Akureyri

on 20 and 22 June.

Alea torda L. Razorbill. I saw a few outside the higher clefts in the stack off Rauai-

nupur, but not more than twenty birds in all.

Uria aalge aalge (Pontopp.). A fair-sized colony on the cliffs a t Rauainupur.

Uria lomvia lomvia (L.). A considerable colony consorting with the Common Guille-

mots, which they considerably outnumbered, on Rau8inupur. One point which struck me was that while the Common Guillemots were crowded together on the large, regular ledges, odd Briinnich’s were t o be found on any ledge that was big

Northern Guillemot.

Briinnich’s Guillemot.

136 Report on Changes in the Nomenclature [Ibis,

enough to hold a bird. I shot a number of Guillemots, as food for some young Arctic Poxes which I had with me, on the only part of the coIony accessible from below. Not one of the fifteen Brunnich’s Guillemots and two Common Guillemots which I shot was in fully developed breeding condition.

Colymbus immer Briinn. Great Northern Diver. About six pairs seen on lakes in Melrakka Sletta and several

Of the pairs, however, only three had young ones, odd birds. find the rest appeared to be non-breeding birds.

Colymbus arcticus L. Black-throated Diver. On 28 June I saw a bird of this species in the sea a t Kopasker.

I saw it in it good light a t thirty to forty yards’ range, and was able to examine it quite clearly. The grey head and neck and black throat were very noticeable. It was a far bigger and more robust bird than the Red-throated Divers which 1 saw later. I was, unfortunately, unable to secure the bird. I searched for i t later in the day with the idea of shooting it, but could not find it. I never saw any other Diver of any species in the sea.

Colymbus stellatus Pontopp. Red-throated Diver. Extremely abundant in Melrakka Sletta, where almost

every lake held a pair. I saw one old bird with two half- grown young ones in a pool no bigger than it tennis court.

IX.-TWELFTR REPORT of the Committee on the Nomien- clature and Records of the Occurrences of Rare Birds in the British Islands, and on certain necessarg Changes in the Nomenclature of the B . 0. U , List of British Birds.

A MEETING of the Committee was held on 13 October, 1937, at the British Museum (Nahural History). The following were present :-a. W. L. Sclater (in the Chair), Mi. H. F. Witherby, Mr. Charles Oldham, the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, Mr. N. B. Kinnear, and Capt. C. H. B. Grant (Hon. Secretary to the Committee).