264 



THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 



It is of a solitary and wary disposition, and chiefly 

 haunts secluded woods and plantations, where the trees are 

 old and large. There it may be seen climbing the trunks 

 and higher branches in search of the insects concealed in 

 the crevices of the bark, and may be heard at a considerable 

 distance tapping on the trees with its bill. It likewise 

 feeds on nuts, acorns, the seeds of the fir-tree, and various 

 berries, including those of the mountain ash. The Great 

 Spotted Woodpecker is about the size of a Song Thrush, and 

 may be easily identified, if seen in our woods, by its con- 

 spicuous plumage ; the back being glossy black, each wing 

 having a large white spot upon it, and the hind-part of the 

 head of the male being crimson. The under-parts are dirty 

 white, and the vent and lower tail-coverts also crimson. It 

 has not been known to breed in Berwickshire. 



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