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THE GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 

 (Dendrocopus major.) 



This also is a busy hammering bird, which flies 

 energetically about the woods and gardens, climbing up 

 the trees from the bottom, closely examining the bark 

 and wood for grubs and bark-beetles, and extracting 

 them with its long pointed tongue. When opportunity 

 offers, it also attacks oily seeds, such as those of the 

 sunflower and berries; but this must not be counted as 

 harmful. By its whole nature, and its peculiar work it 

 belongs decidedly to the most useful of birds. There is 

 a widely spread belief and suspicion among the country 

 people that this Woodpecker spoils the healthy trees, 

 but its beak cannot avail beyond a certain degree of 

 hardness; it can only pierce holes where the wood is 

 softened by rot, and therefore hajbours timber grubs. 

 The fine wood-dust under the trees where the Wood- 

 pecker has been at work calls the attention of the good 

 gardener to the bad state of the tree, and he can then 

 take steps to arrest the mischief if not too late. The 

 Spotted Woodpecker can conceal itself very quickly. 

 When it sees a human being it clambers up the opposite 

 side of the tree trunk. In autumn it roams about with 

 swarms of other tree-cleansing birds. In spring it makes 

 a loud drumming noise among the dry branches. 



It is fairly common in Hungary, but is less so in 

 Great Britain, although pretty well distributed in the 

 wooded portions of England. In Scotland generally it 

 is rare, but southwards from the Shetlands, down to the 

 east coast, it occurs at times on migratory flight. 



J 



