Great Spotted Woodpecker 77 



a song, and is not likely, therefore, to be repeated in the 

 face of apprehended danger. Although the head of the 

 bird has been seen to be in rapid motion when the call is 

 made, I do not think it possible that all the sound can be of 

 mechanical origin, but am of opinion that any hammering, 

 then indulged in, is rather by way of accompaniment to 

 a vocal effort. The lack of interest displayed in natural 

 history subjects, in these parts, has already been alluded to, 

 and it was not, therefore, surprising to find that, though 

 this peculiar note of the Woodpecker was well known to 

 the country people, they had no idea as to what bird pro- 

 duced it, nor generally, indeed, whether it was the voice of 

 a bird at all. Like the note of the Nightjar and some other 

 birds, it is still regarded, generally, with more or less of 

 superstition, and, so far at any rate as this part of Wales is 

 concerned, is included as one of the calls of the dreaded 

 Deryn Corff, or " corpse bird." The common name of this 

 Woodpecker hereabouts is Delor-y-derw, sometimes varied 

 to Tarard-y-coed, or Cymmynwr-y-coed, Enochell-y-coed, and 

 Casegwanwyn. Some of these are, however, likewise applied 

 to the Green Woodpecker. One person knew it as Delor 

 fraith, or " pied woodpecker." 



In one of the dingles, where a considerable cliff is sur- 

 rounded with trees, I was much interested to see a Great 

 Spotted Woodpecker climbing up a lichen-covered rock, 

 and a closer examination disclosed the probable attraction in 

 a colony of the caterpillars of Bryophila perla which were 

 feeding upon the lichen. This little moth is not uncommon 

 here. In more than one instance I found it upon the walls 

 of houses, both occupied and some that had become ruins. 

 The curious little blister-like dwellings which the larvae 

 construct for themselves amongst their food are well known, 

 and as a rule they seem to escape the attentions of birds 

 pretty well. Perhaps the larvae may be one of those 

 species which birds do not care for, but near Bala I saw a 

 Coal Tit which had found them out, and which carried off 

 several of them to feed its young within a hole in the wall 

 on the opposite side of the road. Elsewhere I have seen a 

 Great Tit hunting for and eating them. During a spell of 



