NOTES. 287 



side of Scotland from the most northerly islands is visited. 

 Through the kindness of Mr. J. H. Gurney, who is in possession 

 of the specimen, I have been able to submit to Dr. Hartert 

 for examination that curious albescent example of a Great 

 Sj)otted Woodpecker which is referred to at some length 

 by the late Professor Newton in Yarrell (ed. IV., Vol. II., 

 p. 484), and was at one time erroneously thought to be a 

 specimen of D. leuconotus. Tliis bird was obtained in Unst 

 (Shetland) by Saxby in September, 1861, which is the year 

 of the first irruption mentioned by Mr. Harvie- Brown in the 

 paper above quoted, and it is very satisfactory to know from 

 Dr. Hartert that it is an undoubted example of D. m. major. 



The immigrations of this bird undoubtedly extend to the 

 east coast of England, and it is recorded {Yarrell, II., p. 473) 

 that the 1861 visitation referred to above was traced from 

 the Shetlands to the Isle of Wight. Selby wrote in 1833 

 that in Northumberland scarcely a year passed withoat 

 some of these birds being obtained in October and November. 

 Mr. Abel Chapman refers to these " migrants from Northern 

 Europe " at irregular intervals in Northumberland and 

 Durham {Bird-Life of the Borders, 2nd ed., pp. 132, 133), and 

 Mr. T. H. Nelson writes {Birds of Yorks, Vol. I., p. 275) 

 that, " on the seaboard during the autumn migration this 

 Woodpecker is of almost annual occurrence, and is observed 

 from September to November," and adds that in some 

 years they are numerous. Mr. Nelson also states (I think 

 on the authority of the late J. Cordeaux, Naturalist, 1890, 

 1). 7) that the irruption in October, 1889, was coincident 

 with a great migration of this bird observed by H. Giitke 

 in Heligoland. In Norfolk it has long been known as an 

 immigrant, and it probably reaches the shores of Kent (c/. 

 Hist. Birds of Kent, p. 234). Dendrocopus major major may 

 therefore be considered, like the Crossbill, as a regular immi- 

 grant in autumn to the east coast of Great Britain in small 

 numbers, and at irregular intervals in large numbers. It is 

 very advisable, however, that more specimens should be 

 critically examined, and I shall be very glad to compare any 

 specimens sent to me for the purpose. It seems very likely 

 that the Irish examples are of the northern form. 



H. F. WiTHERBY. 



LITTLE OWL IN WARWICKSHIRE. 

 On November 29th, 1910, an adult male Little Owl [Athene 

 noctua), the fourth Warwickshire specimen, was shot at 

 Stratford-on-Avon ; it was preserved by Messrs. Spicer 

 and Sons, Suffolk Street, Birmingham, at whose shop I 

 exammed it when set up. A. Geoffrey Leigh. 



