88 PICUS STRIOLATUS. 



observers to be not uncommon in some districts. Thus, Mr 

 Gould, in his beautiful Illustrations of the Birds of Europe, 

 says, " In England it is far more abundant than is generally 

 supposed ; we have seldom sought for it in vain wherever large 

 trees, particularly the Elm, grow in sufficient numbers to in- 

 vite its abode : its security from sight is to be attributed more 

 to its habit of frequenting its topmost branches than to its 

 rarity." The Reverend Mr Bree states that "• it is by no means 

 of rare occurrence in his neighbourhood, where, however, it is 

 more readily heard than seen. Its loud, rapid, vibratory noise, 

 most extraordinarily loud to be produced by so small an animal, 

 can hardly fail to arrest the attention of the most unobserving 

 ear. Though I have watched the bird during the operation, 

 and within the distance of a few yards, I am quite at a loss to 

 account for the manner in which the noise is produced. It 

 resembles that made by the boring of a large auger through the 

 hardest wood ; and hence the country people sometimes call 

 the bird the ' pump-borer.' " Mr Dovaston informs us that 

 it is a very frequent, but uncertain, visitor to the woods near 

 Shrewsbury, never failing in April to astonish him " with his 

 prodigiously loud churr on the ranpikes of trees, which, the 

 atmosphere being favourable, may be heard more than a mile. 

 It much resembles the snorting of a frightened horse, but 

 louder and longer." He then states that the bird, in performing 

 this sound, " vibrates its beak against the tree ; the motion is so 

 quick as to be invisible, and the head appears in two places at 

 once. It is surprising and to me wondrously pleasing, to ob- 

 serve the many varieties of tone and pitch in their loud churry, 

 as they change their place on boughs of different vibration, as 

 though they struck on the several bars of a gigantic staccato. 

 When actually boring they make no noise whatever, but quietly 

 and silently pick out the pieces of decaying wood, which, lying 

 white and scattered beneath on the ground and plants, leads 

 the eye up to their operations above. They have several fa- 

 vourite spots, to which they very frequently return. Their 

 voice is a very feeble squeak, repeated rapidly six or eight 

 times, ee^ ee, ee^ ee, ee. They bore numerous and very deep 

 holes in decayed parts, where they retire to sleep early in the 



