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IV. Dendrocopus major and its forms. 



A study of the Great Spotted Woodpecker with regard to its distribution and 

 local forms is perhaps still more interesting than that of the Creepers and Titmice, 

 which have received so mnch attention lately. When attempting to become 

 acquainted with the variation of Dendrocopus major, I find this task by no means 

 easy. While this woodpecker seemed to be rather constant in less extended, 

 especially in insnlar localities, it seemed to vary very mnch in other countries, for 

 example in Germany. The over-zealons C. L. Brehm separated, as long ago as 

 1831, four forms inhabiting Germany : — 



1. Picus pinetorum, with a strong and mediocral bill, inhabiting pine-forests ; 



2. Picus pityopicus, with a short, strong and stumpy beak, inhal)iting fir- 

 woods ; 



3. Picus frondium, with a larger skull and brighter and lighter colours, 

 inhabiting the woods of leaved trees ; 



4. Picus montanus, of larger size, with slenderer, more elongated bill, in- 

 habiting the " foot of the South German mountains," being found near Gastein, in 

 Salzburg, and Tirol. 



In 18.5.5, in the " Vogelfang," Brehm separated two species :— 



1. Picus major, with three subspecies : 



a. P. m. montanus, larger with longer bill ; 

 h. P. m. pinetorum, smaller with shorter bill ; 

 c. P. m. pityopicus, with short bOl. 



2. Picus frondium, with two subspecies : 



a. P. f. lucorum, with longer bill and whitish grey underside ; 



h. P.f. sordidus, with brownish grey underside. 

 The former (the 3 subspecies of P. major) are said to inhabit pine- and fir- 

 woods, the latter (the two subspecies of P. frondium) the forests of leaved trees. 

 Tangible differences between P. major and frondium are not given in the 

 " Vogelfang." 



I have now compared the large series from Germany in the Brehm collection 

 with typical Scandinavian Dendrocopus major, and the various forms of Brehm 

 with each other. I found that his ''pityopicus" really had a shorter, stronger and 

 more stumpy beak, and could hardly be sejjarated from the northern bird, while 

 the majority of the others, especially the "pinetorum;" were smaller and had less 

 powerful, though longer and more pointed bills. The questions now arise whether 

 there are within Central Europe several geographically limited subspecies in a 

 modern sense, or whether the natnre of the trees in which the woodpeckers work 

 has anything to do with the form and size of their bills, as has been suggested. 



