Oriiiihuloyy of Corsica. 69 



104'. Alcedo ispiuA L. Kingfisher. 



A winter visitor in fair numbers to the sea-coast and the 

 mouths of the rivers from November (fFAar/o/i) to February 

 {Parrot) ; but, according to Whitehead, it begins to get scarce 

 after the end of January. 



\^Picus viridis L. Green Woodpecker. 



Included in GiglioH's list on the authority of Professor 

 Combe, of Corte, who states that it occurs occasionally in 

 the island and that he has killed a specimen. This record 

 requires confirmation.] 



105. Dendkocopus major parroti Hartert. Corsicau 

 Great Spotted Woodpecker. 



Dendrocopus major parroti Hartert, Orn. Monatsb. xix. 

 p. 191 (1911— Corsica). 



Local names : Pichia (Giglioli) ; Pichiarone (north), Pichiu 

 (south). 



In the great-pine forests on the mountains, more 

 especially from 2000 to 4000 feet, this species is a common 

 resident, often working down to the coast in winter, according 

 to Whitehead. We also found a few pairs breeding among 

 the cork-oaks and olives on the plains on the south and east 

 sides of the island, but there it is far from numerous. The 

 Sardinian resident form was described by Arrigoui under the 

 name of D. major harterti (* Avicula/ vi. p. 103, 1902), and 

 Corsican specimens agree very closely with this race, but 

 differ from it in some small particulars, the beak being longer 

 and more slender, and the wing slightlyjonger (133-139 mm.). 

 Parrot (Ornith. Jahrbuch, 1911, p. 27) ascribes a female 

 obtained in the market (in winter) to the Central-European 

 form. The breeding-season is variable : Whitehead found 

 his first eggs on May 20, but we came across newly-hatched 

 young on May 18 and May 24 at about 3000 ft., and also 

 obtained fresh eggs from May 18 to 26 in the same district, 

 while in the plain we heard the young squeaking in the nest 

 on May 23. The number of eggs in the clutch varies from 

 three to five. Average size of nineteen Corsican eggs, 

 27-42 X 19-7 mm. ; max. 29-5 x 18 and 27 x 206, min. 25^5 x 

 20 and 29-5 x 18 mm. 



