The Iceland year-book - 01.01.1926, Blaðsíða 33

the old volcano Krafla, the obsidian mountain, the
great gorge known as the Grjotgja, the northern
sulphur sources and mud pools,
The Demon of and the grotesque lava wonder,
the Night. the so-called Natt-troll, the
demon of the night, who,
carelessly caught outside his hidden dwelling of
darkness by the rising sun, was changed by its
rays into this ghastly figure of stone.
Three products of the realm of nature,
Peculiar belonging largely or exclusively to Ice-
Products. land, deserve notice in this place. The
first is the down taken from the nests
of the eiderduck, and sold in many countries for
cushions or bed coverlets. These ducks are pro-
vided with places for breeding purposes, and are
protected by strictly-enforced laws. A visit to one
of their breeding-sites is of much interest to for-
eigners. The second peculiar production is the Ice-
landic Moss (lichen islandicus), which is every-
where kept on sale by foreign pharmacists, and
from which pastilles for coughs, or other prepara-
tions, sometimes a sort of pudding, for invalids,
are made. Thirdly, a unique Icelandic product is
the double-refracting feldspar (Icelandic feldspar),
used by opticians and in optical tests and experi-
ments. The world’s sole mine, or quarry, of this
singular material is situated near EskifjorSur in
the south-east of Iceland, and is the property of the
Icelandic Government. It is often visited by travel-
lers."
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