148 



THE BIRDS OF ESSEX. 



Great Spotted Woodpecker : Deudrocopus majoi'. Locally^ 

 " French Magpie " (Saffron Walden). 



A resident, though very sparsely distributed over the county. I 

 have very seldom seen the bird. 



Mr. Clarke describes it (24) as " not unfrequent in woods" near Walden. 

 King says (20) it is " rare " round Sudbury, and Mr. Grubb writes (39), a speci- 

 men was "seen last winter (1875) by niy children to fly across our river and 

 settle among some trees on the other side." In theParsons Collection is a speci- 

 men shot at Little Wakering in 1848. In April, 1883, I observed one here. It 

 " occurs in Loughton Manor " (Buxton 47. 86). Henry Doubleday, writing from 

 Epping in 1832, says (10), " I have procured two eggs of the Pied Woodpecker 

 this year. The bird is scarce here, and I never saw the nest before." However, 

 both Edward Doubleday (15) and English (43. i. 24) include it in their lists of 

 Epping birds. Mr. Arthur Lister observed one in July, 1888, in Wanstead Park, 

 where he had formerly supposed it only a winter visitor. Mr. Hope says that it 

 is "common " at Upminster, and Dr. Laver informs me that it occurs in both the 

 Colchester and Paglesham districts. One was killed with a stick in Lexden 

 Park in 1882 (Spalding). At Harwich it is scarce, though it breeds (Kerry). Mr_ 

 Travis says that in the vicinity of Saffron Walden, where it is rare, it is known 

 as the " French Magpie." 



Green Woodpecker: Gecinus viridis. Locally, "Whetile," 

 and "Yaffle," "Rain-bird" (E. A. F.) and "Heigh-ho" (E. A. F). 



A fairly-common resident, especially in parks and thickly-tim- 

 bered districts, as round Danbury, Epping, Maldon, &c. 



According to King (20), it was " not uncommon " 

 around Sudbury in 1838. Mr. Buxton sa3's that it 

 (47. 86) " may be constantly heard tapping, and occa- 

 sionall)'- seen, in the northern part of the Forest ; very 

 frequent about Cook's Folly, near Walthamstow." 

 It is getting " more common than formerly in the 

 Colchester district, but is decreasing in number round 

 Rochford " (Laver). At Harwich it is scarce, though 

 it breeds there (Kerry). Round Orsett, where there 

 is very little woodland, Mr. Sackett says it is " not 

 common," but adds that it is " fairly plentiful on and 

 around the Laindon Hills," In the summer of 1883, Mr. 

 Chas. Smoothy met with a nest containing young in 

 a hole, which I have seen, in ati elm-tree at Little 

 Baddow, not moie than two feet from the ground. 

 (29. Sept. 15). Mr. Fitch found twelve new nests 

 at Hazeleigh in 1888. The Rev. C. Swainson (48) 

 gives " Whetile " as its name in Essex and Hertg 

 which he says is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ihwitan, to cut, whence also 

 comes the Yankee verb "to whittle," according to Yarrell (14. ii. 137). 



GREEN WOODTECKER, 1/7. 



Wryneck : Iy7ix toi-quilla. Locally, " Snake-bird " and 

 " Cuckoo's Mate." 



A fairly-common summer migrant, usually first heard about the 



