WOODPECKERS 397 



Dresser's " Birds of Europe," which, according to 

 Prof. Newton (Yarrell's "Birds," ii. p. 482), "com- 

 pletely disposes of the claims set up in nearly every 

 instance." See also my article on the Great Black 

 "NA'oodpecker, ZooL, 1865. 



MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopus 

 medius (Linnaeus). Pi. 16, fig. 11. Length, 8-25 in.; 

 bill, 1 in.; wing, 4*8 in.; tarsus, 0*8 in. 



Hah. Western and Southern Europe, north to Fin- 

 land, east to the Caucasus. 



One, Lancashire : Pennant, " Brit. Zool," vol. i. p. 180. 

 One, Dorsetshire : Pulteney, " Cat. Birds Dorset," p. 6. 

 One, Inverness-shire : St. John, " Nat. Hist. Highlands," 



p. 76. 

 Two, Middlesex : Harting, " Birds of Middlesex," p. 108. 



Obs, Although, some years since, I included this 

 species in my "Birds of Middlesex," p. 108, upon 

 w hat appeared at the time to be a sufficient warranty, 

 I think, on maturer consideration, that the species 

 has no sufficient claim to be regarded as " British." 

 In all probability the birds above referred to were 

 the young of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. Com- 

 pare figs. 10 and 11. Since the first edition of this 

 "Handbook" appeared, I have seen a reputed spe- 

 cimen of the White-backed Woodpecker (D. leu- 

 conotus), which was shot at Halligarth, Shetland, in 

 Sept. 1861, by Dr. Saxby. He took it to be the 

 young of D. major, and was probably right, al- 

 though Gould identified it as D. leuconotus [Zool., 

 1861, p. 7754, and 1862, p. 7932). See also Gurney, 

 ZooL, 1875, p. 4695. 



