H. D. Astley—The New Collection at Chateau de Cleres 169



fruit and boiled potatoes, as well as sponge cake. That seems rather

an odd diet for a Woodpecker, and I suspect that my bird, obviously

hand-reared, though very timid, has learnt strange habits as regards

food owing to his late owner's method of feeding him.


I saw at once that my bird was a young male of some species of

Melanerpes. His total length is about 7 inches ; back, wings, and

tail black barred with white, the quill being black ; rump white ;

underparts pale drab, except the abdomen which is orange, and a few

dark mottles on the thighs ; crown crimson, occiput and nape washed

with red ; the rest of the head is drab, with a slight touch of yellow

near the bill which is dark grey, as well as the feet; eyes dark brown.


The call reminds one of the voice of the Magpie in a small way.

I was rather puzzled to determine the exact species of my bird. The

plates in the Old Malherbe’s Monographic des Picidies show me that

he resembles very much Zebrapicus ( Melanerpes) rubriventris ; but my

Woodpecker could not belong to that species, which lives in Yucatan,

since he came from Colombia. At last I came to the conclusion that

he was Melanerpes wagleri. In captivity my Woodpecker behaves

like all his cogeners, and is most attractive in his ways. Though they

need special management owing to their habit of destroying wood,

Woodpeckers are most desirable cage birds, and I wish more of them

could be imported into Europe.



THE NEW COLLECTION AT CHATEAU

DE CLERES

By Hubert D. Astley, M.A.


Everyone sympathized with Monsieur Delacour when they knew

that the whole of his splendid collection of birds was destroyed at

Villers Bretonneux, near Amiens, during the War; and all aviculturists

will equally rejoice with him that he has been able not only to acquire

a very beautiful new home at Cleres, half-way between Dieppe and

Rouen, but that he has already formed the nucleus of what promises

to be a fine gathering of rare birds, and also mammals.



