500 RARE BRITISH BIRDS 



The sexes are alike, excepting that the female is rather duller. Length 7| in. [190 mm.]. 

 Adult general colour above, including the wings and tail, black, strongly glossed with steel-blue ; 

 feathers at the extreme base of the culmen chesnut, continued into a narrow line over each 

 eye, and widening out on the back of the head where it unites; rump light chesnut-buff; 

 longer upper tail-coverts black ; whole of the under parts light buff, with indistinct black 

 shaft-streaks ; under tail-coverts black, [w. P. P. and T. w.] 



2. Distribution. The only certainly known European breeding-place of this species is in 

 Greece, but it also nests in other parts of the Mediterranean region, the Maroccan Atlas, W. Algeria, 

 Cyprus, Asia Minor, and Palestine. Eastward its breeding range in Asia extends through Persia to 

 Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Turkestan, and Gilgit, but in India and Eastern Asia to Japan it is 

 replaced by allied races. On migration it is not rare in Italy and Sicily, and also appears in 

 Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt, wintering in Africa (White Nile, Abyssinia, etc.). Has occurred as 

 a casual on Heligoland, in South France, while two have "been obtained and two others seen in 

 Great Britain (one Kent, 1909 ; one shot and two seen Fair Island, 1906). East Asiatic forms 

 winter in South-eastern Asia and the Malayan Archipelago. [F. c. R. j.] 



[AMERICAN PURPLE-MARTIN [Progne sdbis (Linnaeus)]. Is said to have occurred once in 

 Ireland in 1840, but probably the record is due to an escaped bird, if genuine. [F. c. R. j.] ] 



[AMERICAN TREE-SWALLOW [Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot)]. General colour of the upper 

 surface glossy oil green, slightly bluer on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wings and tail black, 

 slightly glossed with blue ; under surface pure white, smoky on the sides and flanks ; axillaries 

 smoke-brown. Said to have been killed at Derby in 1850. [F. c. R. j.]] 



THE WOODPECKERS 1 



[ORDER: Coraciiformes. FAMILY: Picidae] 

 [GREAT BLACK- WOODPECKER [Dryocopus mdrtius mdrtius (Linnaeus)]. 



1. Description. Recognised by its very large size and by having the tarsus entirely 

 feathered. The sexes are alike, except that the female has the red on the head confined 

 to the occiput, where it forms a triangular patch, generally tapering to a point on the nape. 

 Length 18 in. [457 mm.]. Adult male forehead, crown, and middle of occiput crimson, 

 with black bases to the feathers ; remainder of the upper and the whole of the under parts 

 deep black, glossed on the sides of the head and neck with blue-black, [w. p. p. and x. w.] 



2. Distribution. Has frequently been reported from England, and J. E. Harting actually 

 quotes thirty-three such records in his Manual (2nd edit., p. 394). Nearly all these have been 

 conclusively disproved, and some recent records are known to be due to birds imported 

 and set free. [F. c. R. J.] ] 



[AMERICAN HAIRY- WOODPECKER [Dryobdtes villosus (Linnaeus)]. Said to have been killed 

 in Yorkshire. [F. c. R. j.] ] 



[AMERICAN DOWNY- WOODPECKER [Dryobdtes pubJscens (Linnaeus)]. Said to have been 

 shot in Dorset (1836) and elsewhere. [F. c. R. j.] ] 



[GoLDENWiNGED-WooDPECKER or FLICKER [Coldptes aurdtus (Linnfeus)]. Said to have 

 been killed in Wilts (1836). If genuine, these records were probably due to imported birds. 

 [F. c. R. j.] ] 



[THREETOED- WOODPECKER [Picoides trid&ctylus (Linnaeus)]. Is said (by Donovan) to have 

 been shot in Scotland, but there is no proof of the truth of this statement. [F. c. R. j.] ] 



1 Vol. ii. p. 318. 



