16 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



gamekeepers add too well-founded grounds of complaint 

 against him. In fact, the Squirrel rapidly became an 

 agressive and progressive species, but the Woodpecker yielded 

 before the change of forest circumstances, and became retro- 

 grade and finally either died out as a nesting species, or 

 suddenly, as some affirm, disappeared en masse and fled the 

 country about the year 1850, making however an endeavour 

 to return again in the summers of 1878 and 1879. 



Now it has been stated and reiterated, times without 

 number, that Squirrels can and do enter into the holes made by 

 the Great Spotted Woodpecker ; and this, stated and adhered 

 to by many thoroughly respectable authorities, amongst whom 

 we may again mention those whom we before quoted in our 

 previous article," Zool." Mar. 1 8 80, pp. 86 and 87. Mr. J. Grant 

 Thompson, the Countess of Seafield's head wood-manager, 

 added, "the fact is perfectly certain," and, with settled emphasis, 

 " I have seen them do it myself." On the other hand, such is by 

 some denied as possible, and they even stoutly doubt if 

 the hole made by a Green Woodpecker (G. viridis) would 

 admit a Squirrel. At one time we were inclined to favour 

 this view, but facts are stubborn things, when merely opposed 

 to theories. Take a sharp wire, run it through a Squirrel's 

 body and both shoulder-blades : press down the flesh thus 

 impaled upon the wire : measure the length of the wire 

 concealed in the flesh and bone, and compare with the 

 diameter of an ordinary Great Spotted Woodpecker's nesting 

 hole, and observe the results. 1 



At the present day many of the old nesting holes of the 

 Woodpeckers in the pine trees are occupied by wasps and 

 bees. A specimen cut off a rotten decayed pine- branch 

 showing numerous " borings " and " tappings " of the birds, 

 was procured for me from the forest of Rothiemurchus in 

 the end of the summer of I 89 1. 



1 That the firm belief exists — it has been suggested — " is possibly owing," says 

 our correspondent, "toa misreading, misidentification or confusion arising out of 

 a passage by Pennant in his ' Caledonian Zoology.' " Pennant says: — "Pine 

 martin. This species is found in pine forests, and takes possession of the holes 

 made by the Woodpecker," and he also says — "Squirrels scarce in Scotland, a 

 few in the woods of Strathspey." Confusion no doubt existed, even then, possibly, 

 in the minds of Pennant's informants ; but Pennant surely should have known 

 that martens could not enter and take possession of the holes made by Wood- 

 peckers. 



