292 BIRDS OP NOEFOLK. 



confirmed by circumstances, originating in a con- 

 versation with Mr. Spaldingj of Westleton. Whilst 

 inspecting that gentleman's collection in the summer 

 of 1864, I happened to mention the Scole woodpeckers, 

 with some expressions of doubt as to the identity of 

 those specimens, when he referred me to Mr. Francis 

 Drake, of Billingford, as an individual most likely to be 

 able to afford information. At once taking the hint, I 

 shortly received, in reply to my enquiries, the following 

 letter from Mr. Drake, dated June 29th, 1864, who, to 

 my great surprise, proved to be the very person who had 

 shot the birds in question : — " Being equally interested 

 with yourself and Mr. Sj^alding in birds, I feel now inclined 

 to think the birds I shot many years since at BilUngford, 

 near Scole, were the large spotted woodpecker, although 

 I was told at the time they were the black." In a 

 subsequent letter, in answer to further questions, Mr. 

 Drake says — "It must have been more than thirty 

 years since I shot the birds. They were evidently 

 larger than the wryneck, with red heads. I was not 

 aware they were in print until I saw them mentioned 

 in Mr. Lubbock's work on the 'Fauna of Norfolk.' 

 They were not ^preserved. I cannot remember if they 

 had white about them." Having pursued the enquiry 

 thus far, I was desirous of finding the notice referred to 

 by Yarrell in the Zoological Society's '^'Proceedings," 

 but failing in this, I wrote to the secretary, Mr. Sclater, 

 to know if he could in any way assist me in discovering 

 by whom the " communication" had been originally 

 made. In a few days I received the following reply, 

 assuring me of that gentleman's persevering though 

 fruitless efforts to comply with my request: — "I have 

 searched in vain in our 'proceedings,' and also in our 

 written remarks, for any traces of the paper you 

 mention. I cannot find anything like it. I fear it was 

 only mentioned in the way of conversation at the 



