66 Mr. H. Saunders on the Birds of Southern Spain. 



specimens, and believe it to be common, taking the place of the 

 last mentioned in the higher woods. 



44. PiCUS MAJOR. 



Generally distributed ; but the only place where I found its 

 nest was near Aranjuez in May 1870. 



45. PiCUS MEDIUS. 



Guirao considers this species even more abundant in IMurcia 

 than Gecinus viridis, especially in the Pine woods of the Sierras 

 de Espuna and de la Pila. I never obtained it myself, but have 

 handled specimens. 



46. PiCUS MINOR. 



I only observed this bird once at Aranjuez, where it was evi- 

 dently breeding, in May. It is in most collections. 



47. CucuLus CANORUS. " Cucu.'^ 



Abundant during the spring passage ; but though I once shot 

 a female on 30th April, the largest egg in whose ovary was the 

 size of a pea, yet 1 never found it laying in Andalucia, nor in- 

 deed anywhere else in Spain. Machado, in his list, goes so far 

 as to assert that he never could obtain the bird ! 



48. OxYLOPHUs GLANDARius. " Cucu rcal,'^ " Cucu del 

 mono." 



I have obtained this species as early as ]\Iarch 2nd; and a 

 female shot 6th April had an egg ready for exclusion. It is by 

 no means so abundant near Seville as it is near Aranjuez ; in 

 both places it prefers the nest of the Common Magpie {Pica 

 melanoleuca) in which to deposit its eggs. 



49. CoRACiAS GARRULA. " Carrauco," " Carlanco." 

 Generally arrives early in April, when it swarms throughout 



the country, breeding in holes of trees, walls, old towers, and 

 also in banks, like the next species, but never in colonies. I 

 once saw a small flock near Jaen on the 13th March, an un- 

 usually early arrival. The stomachs of those I examined con- 

 tained remains of grasshoppers, the thigh-cases of which, having 

 turned the colour of slightly tarnished silver, rather puzzled me 

 at first sight. The brain of this bird is remarkably small. 



