270 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



it appears that it becomes more scarce in our northern 

 counties, and in most parts of Scotland is decidedly 

 rare as a resident, but the fact of its autumnal or 

 winter migration to the northern portions of the 

 kingdom seems to be well established. It is, as we 

 have previously stated, at all times a wandering and 

 restless bird, and adapts itself to any sort of locality 

 as a halting-place, but from our own observations we 

 should say that its favourite haunts are evergreen 

 forests and woods in which old birches and alders 

 abound. 



A very closely allied species, the Middle Spotted 

 Woodpecker, Picus medius (Linn.), has been admitted 

 by some authors into the list of British birds ; but it 

 appears that this bird has no real claim to be therein 

 included (vide A. Newton, Yarrell's ' British Birds,' 

 4th edition, vol. ii. pp. 483, 484) ; and the same 

 observations apply to the Black Woodpecker, Picus 

 martins (Linn.), of whose occurrence in our county 

 we have a report. 



113. LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 



Dendrocopus minor. 



This little bird, though considered rare in many 

 parts of England, is certainly now the most common 

 of our three species of Woodpecker in this neigh- 

 bourhood, and we have observed it in every part of 

 our county with which we have any acquaintance, 

 though from its small size and comparatively silent 

 habits in the summer months, its presence may often 

 remain a secret to those who are not specially 

 interested in ornithology. In the first sunny days 



