278 TEN YEARS IN SWEDEN. 



back and rump "black, a white spot on each shoulder ; 

 head above black, a deep red patch on the back of the 

 neck in the male, which is wanting in the female ; under 

 tail coverts carmine red; sides dirty white, unspotted. 

 In the young the top of the head is red in both sexes, 

 until the first autumnal month, and at this age they may 

 easily be confounded with the P. Medius, but may be 

 distinguished by their larger size and much thicker beak. 

 That the P. medius, however, is not the young of the great 

 spotted woodpecker, as some have erroneously supposed, is 

 pretty clearly proved by the fact of this latter bird, always re- 

 taining the crimson colour on the top of the head through life. 

 Is common in all the Scandinavian forests, from the ex- 

 treme south to far up into Norway and Lapland. Full 

 number of eggs six. Nests in Wermland in May. 



39. P. MEDIUS, L. Mellan spett. D. 



Length about 8^- in.; general colour very similar to 

 the last. But the sides of the old birds are covered 

 with longitudinal dark lines, and the upper part of the 

 head and neck is red at all ages in both birds (but not 

 so bright in the female) . Iris brown, encircled with a 

 white ring. 



Is confined to the extreme south of Sweden, and we never 

 meet with it in Wermland. Frequents principally planta- 

 tions of oak and aspen. 



Is much more likely to be confounded with P. Leu- 

 conotus than with P. major, in my opinion. Eggs six, scarcely 

 smaller than those of the P. major. Figured by Dr. Bree 

 as the middle- spotted woodpecker. 



40. P. MINOR, L. Lilla Hack spett. The Lesser spotted 



Woodpecker. D. F. 



Length 6 in.; black and white variegated; back 



white, with black transverse bands ; crown of the head 



in the male carmine red, in the female dirty white. 



Is distributed over the whole of the middle and north of 



Scandinavia to far up into Lapland, but does not appear 



to be ever seen in the extreme south, except during the 



