THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 59 



LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 



Bendrorojn/s minor (Linn). 



A SCARCE resident, not so uncommon with us as the 

 Great Spotted Woodpecker, and perhaps overlooJ^ed 

 from its preference for the upper branches of trees ; 

 but still a local bird, no where numerous. Mr. 

 Mitchell has met with it in N. Devon, others have 

 been shot near Plymouth, Exeter, Torquay and in 

 S. Devon. The late Dr. Scott found a nest of this 

 species in an old apple-tree in one of the Nursery 

 Gardens near Exeter, in 18J:7, several birds being 

 killed about the same time (Zool. 1849. p. 2384). 

 1 have not as yet found the nest of this Woodj^ecker, 

 but one a male bird regularly visits an ancient oak 

 in my father's park, the noise that this small bird 

 creates, in tapping the hollow branches of the tree, 

 may be heard for a very great distance. 



[GREAT BLACK AYOODPECKBR.— P/r^^s martins, Liun.J 



[A DOUBTFUL visitant, not included in the present 

 census of the avifauna of Devon, but here inserted 

 in order that its claims to be considered a Devon- 

 shire bird may be open to criticism. The Rev. M. 

 A. Mathew writes that he thinks the claims of this 

 species are valid, '' In a collection of birds formed 

 by the late Mr. Newton of Millaton Hall, Bridestowe, 

 on the N. W. borders of Dartmoor, is a specimen of 

 the Great Black Woodpecker which was shot about 

 the year, 1830, in the neighbourliood of Crediton. 

 I have seen this bird, a female, now in rather a 



