. Manual of the birds of Iceland . ntor ofmy youth, as he taught me to stuff birds and did notin any way repress the tendency to ornithology withwhich I was born. And I know that he could not wellbe mistaken respecting such a bird, well known on ourBritish coasts. At the same time, unlike the Knotand others, it is not a bird which we should expect tovisit Iceland, as its breeding-grounds (as far as weknow them) are not in America, but in North Asia ; andtherefore it would go north-east from us and nowherenear Iceland. The bird has not been met with in Icelandsince, and so far its occurrence th
. Manual of the birds of Iceland . ntor ofmy youth, as he taught me to stuff birds and did notin any way repress the tendency to ornithology withwhich I was born. And I know that he could not wellbe mistaken respecting such a bird, well known on ourBritish coasts. At the same time, unlike the Knotand others, it is not a bird which we should expect tovisit Iceland, as its breeding-grounds (as far as weknow them) are not in America, but in North Asia ; andtherefore it would go north-east from us and nowherenear Iceland. The bird has not been met with in Icelandsince, and so far its occurrence there rests on Proctorstestimony. (See Newton, lUs, 1864, p. 132.) Tringa striata, Linn. Purple Sandpiper. Native names: Sendlingur (Sand-haunter), alsoSelningur, a variant which, as Herra Grondalsays, is meaningless. Professor Newton addsfjalla-fcela as a name for this species in summerdress, but Grondal does not mention it, nor haveI met any one who recognised it as a bird name. A resident, common on the shores in winter, breeding. BIRDS OF ICELAND 99 on fells and high plateaux, where its nest, owing to thevast area of country suitable to its requirements, is notcommonly met with. I have found, or been at thefinding of, six in Iceland, and have met with it morefrequently on the ArnarvatnsheiSi than anywhere,where it is the characteristic small Wader. It nests on elevated bare ground in June, as soonas the ground is dry enough after the melting of thesnow. The nest is placed amongst a patch of Dryasocto;petala, Loiseleuria promtmhens, or an abscdutelyprostrate willow, and is quite unconcealed, the birdtrusting to its obscure colouring and the withered-leaf colour of the eggs to escape observation. Thenest is a mere hollow—as deep as the eggs—with afew dead willow, Dryas, or Vaccinium leaves in it, anodd Ptarmigans feather or two, and a few off the birdsown breast as lining. I have, however, found one nest(which was on a wet fell) rather substantially linedwith grass. The egg
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