Great Black Woodpecker. 249 



persuaded that P. Martins has occasionally appeared in England, 

 perhaps more frequently in former years than of late. At all 

 events, the single specimen I adduce is now in Mr. James 

 Rawlence's collection at Bulbridge, in the parish of Wilton, and 

 that gentleman received it from Mr. Samuel Pope, then of 

 Kingston Deverill Farm, who assured Mr. Rawlence it was killed 

 when they were shooting rooks in Longleat Park. I regret that 

 I cannot give the exact date, but it was some years ago, and it 

 was sent to be stuffed by Mr. King, the well-known bird-stuffer 

 at Warminster, now unhappily deceased, or he might have 

 supplied this and other desired particulars. The Great Black 

 Woodpecker is much larger than all the other European species, 

 and is entirely black in colour, the top of the head only ex- 

 cepted, which is of a rich blood-red. It is a strong powerful 

 bird, and is common in northern Europe, arid found sparingly in 

 the fir forests of Germany and Switzerland. When I was in 

 Norway in the year 1850, I was so fortunate as to fall in with it 

 in the great forest of the Glommen, and shot it as it was ascend- 

 ing the trunk of a fir tree. There were two in company, and I 

 followed them as they flew screaming through the forest, but 

 I never saw birds fly more heavily, or with such apparent 

 exertion and such clumsy motion as these. It was surprising, 

 too, with what loud-sounding taps they hammered with their 

 powerful beaks on the bark of the trees they were ascending ; 

 and I could well understand how they gained the Norwegian 

 name of Spill-Kraka, ' Splinter Crow/ or * Chip Crow/ from the 

 mass of splinters always to be found at the foot of the tree where 

 they carry on their labours. In France, it is Le Pic Noir ; in 

 Germany, Schwarzspecht ; in Italy, Picchio Corvo. 



I conclude my account of this fine species with the following 

 Norse legend. 'When our Blessed Lord was wandering upon 

 earth, He and St. Peter came to an old wife's home, who sat 

 baking ; her name was Gertrude, and she had a red mutch upon 

 her head. They had walked a long way and were hungry, and 

 our Lord begged for a bannock to stay their hunger. "Yes, 

 they should have it." So she took a tiny little piece of dough 



