480 PICID^E. 



Berks, Wilts and Somerset (Zool. pp. 5920, 9539). It used 

 to frequent Kensington Gardens, and was seen there so 

 lately as May 1878 (Zool. 1879, p. 288) ; but the western 

 midlands, the counties of Gloucester, Hereford, Salop, 

 Worcester and Warwick, appear to be its chief resort. 

 Cornwall perhaps excepted, it breeds in every English 

 county as far as York, but there becomes very rare, and is 

 only a casual visitor in Lancashire or to the northward 

 Mr. Hancock knowing of but three instances of its appear- 

 ance in Northumberland, and none in Durham. Mr. E. 

 Gray says he has never examined a specimen killed in Scot- 

 land ; but Mr. Edward (Zool. p. 6671) records two in 

 Banffshire, one of which was only seen, while the other, 

 shot at Mayen, was sent to him about 1845, and one is said 

 by Mr. Shearer on Dr. Sinclair's authority (Proc. E. Phys. 

 Soc. Edinb. ii. p. 336) to have been obtained in Caithness.* 

 Low (Faun. Oread, p. 49, note) says he shot one at Strom- 

 ness in the winter of 1774, and Messrs. Baikie and Heddle 

 mention another observed in Sanday; but in neither case is 

 there assurance that the species was rightly determined. 

 Thompson (B. Irel. iii. p. 441) and Mr. Watters state that 

 five or six specimens have been obtained in various parts of 

 Ireland, two of which, procured in Wicklow in 1847 and 

 1848, were examined by the latter, and Col. Bulger records 

 (Zool. p. 5680) one seen near Fermoy in April 1857. 



The geographical range of this species is very exten- 

 sive, though its limits have yet to be defined. In Norway 

 it goes as far to the northward as the birch-forests allow. 

 Wolley found it breeding by Lake Enara in northern Fin- 

 land, and Messrs. Brown and Seebohm obtained it on the 

 Lower Petchora. There is reason to believe that it stretches 

 across the whole of Siberia t and reaches Japan, for a 

 specimen from Jeddo is referred (Ibis, 1879, p. 29) to this 



* The evidence of Sibbald is altogether vague, while that of Don and Pennant 

 really amounts to nothing and may be safely neglected. 



f Siberian examples present, as is often found with other species, more 

 strongly contrasted tints, and have been differentiated by Bonaparte (Gonsp. 

 Volucr. Zygodactl. p. 8, Ateneo Ital. Maggio 1854) as Picus (Trichopicus) kaint- 

 chatchensis, regarded as a valid species by Malherbe (Monogr. Picid. i. p. 115). 



