194 BRITISH BIRDS. 



• [While abroad in 1907-8 in Corsica, and 1909-10 in Rou- 

 mania, I met with two of the Continental forms of this species, 

 and saw them move backward down the trunk of trees, for short 

 distances, dozens of times, exactly as our British Great 

 Spotted Woodpecker does. When a bird is rather shy of going 

 on to the nest she will alight above it, look round, and when 

 satisfied, descend backwards by a series of springs to the hole. 

 I have always regarded the backward movement as character- 

 istic of the Woodpeckers, as opposed to the head-downward 

 progress of the Nuthatches. — F.C.R.J.] 



NORTHERN GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER 

 IN NORTHUMBERLAND. 



In his paper on " The Birds of that portion of the North-east 

 coast between Tynemouth and Seaton Sluice, Northumber- 

 land" [Zoologist, 1911, p. 312), Mr. J. M. Charlton mentions 

 several occurrences of Great Spotted Woodpeckers during 

 the last nine years, but onl^^ one of these appears to have been 

 shot. Through the kindness of this gentleman I have been 

 able to obtain this specimen, which was shot at HoJyweil 

 Dene in November, 1904. On examination I find that it is 

 a bird of the year that has completed its autumn moult, with 

 the exception of the crown, where new half -grown black feathers 

 are visible amongst the red ones of the juvenile dress. The 

 wings measure 132 mm., and the first primar}^ exceeds the 

 longest primary-coverts by 7 mm., while the bill is actually 

 the broadest I have yet seen, and alone marks it as an 

 individual of the Northern race (Dendrocopus major major). 

 The coloration of the under-parts is so obscured by the dirt 

 acquired from Northumbrian tree-trunks, that nothing definite 

 can be said about its shade of colour. N. F. Ticehurst. 



YOUNG TAWNY OWL FEIGNING DEATH WHEN 

 CONFRONTED WITH DANGER. 



On June 24th, 1911, while searching for the nest of a Nightjar 

 in a wood at Alderley Edge, Cheshire, a loud snapping of 

 mandibles drew my attention to a young Tawny Owl {Syrnium 

 aluco) sitting on a low branch. At my nearer approach it 

 sought refuge in flight, and gi\^ng chase, I eventually came 

 up with it crouching on the ground, mth feathers ruffled up 

 so that it looked twice its real size, and snapping its bill 

 angrily. I threw^ my coat over the bird, and on withdrawing 

 it was surprised to find it feigning death in a thoroughly con- 



