Barred Woodpecker (Picus mhior), 147 



I here present you, in a tabular form, with the first and last 

 appearances of the swallows and martins for the year 1831: — 



First seen. Last seen. 



Swallow - April 11.* (at Allesley.) October 17. (atMitcham, Surrey.) 

 Martin - May 6. (Do.) October 15. (Do.) 



Swift - May 13. (Do.) Sept. 10. (Dover.) 



I had no opportunity of observing the migration of the sand 

 martin this year. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. 

 Allesley Rectory, Nov, 29. 1831. W. T. Bree. 



Art. VII. The Little, or Barred, Woodpecker [Vicus minor L.). 

 By John F. M. Dovaston, Esq. A.M., of Westfelton, near 

 Shrewsbury. 



Sir, 

 After all that has been so perspicuously said in the 

 very able and admirable review of The British Naturalist 

 in your last Number, about this surprising and minute bird 

 (p. 63.), I have yet a few remarks to add : particularly as I 

 observe that authors collect the scattered scraps sprinkled 

 throughout our Magazine, to further the augmentation of 

 their respective histories; which shows the great utility of 

 these short communications from divers places. This bird 

 is a very frequent, but uncertain, visiter to the w^oods 

 around my residence here; but never fails in April to asto- 

 nish me with his prodigiously loud churr on the ranpikes of 

 trees ; which, the atmosphere being favourable, may be heard 

 more than a mile. White elegantly observes, that " where- 

 ever there is love, there is music." Now, if this, as the judi- 

 cious reviewer opines, be a " love-note " (and many insects 

 use similar amatory serenades), the bird has a taste consonant 

 to that of the magnanimous and delicate Bully Bottom, who 

 averreth that he has "a reasonable good ear for music," 



* The dates above recorded relate only to what fell under my own 

 observation. Swallows, I am told, were seen by others at Allesley on the 

 10th of April. I am informed also, by an attentive observer of these birds, 

 that he saw three martins [sand martins ?], late in the evening, flying over 

 the reservoir near Daventry, on the 2.3d of March ; and one swift at Lea- 

 mington, on the evening of the 1 st of May ; and also that two swallows were 

 seen near Coventry so late as the 28th of October. 1 may state, too, that 

 my friend the Rev. Thomas Whately of Cookham, in Berkshire, informs 

 me, that,.in the year 1830, he saw swallows (^irundo rustica) in that neigh- 

 bourhood, on the 22d of March j and this year ( 1831), on the 8th of April* 



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