240 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



[vol, XV. 



settled my doubts. I heard a sharp alarm note and a scolding 

 Whitethroat-like " churr." They remained at this spot 

 the whole of the afternoon and evening of August 8th, but 

 on the gth had disappeared. ■ Charles G. Young. 



SIZE OF SWALLOW BROODS IN 1921. 



As usual I send you the list of Swallow broods for 1921, as 

 compared with other years. The summer of 192 1 was as 

 bad as that of 1920 for Swallows, and their growing scarcity 

 is a serious one from an economic point of view. The scarcity 

 of nests was so marked in 1921 that with my figures for 

 North Lancashire I have joined those of Mr. F. W. Holder 

 for South Lancashire. 



GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER IN PERTHSHIRE. 



During March, 1921, although the work of Woodpeckers 

 was very apparent in the birch woods round Dunkeld, none 

 were seen or heard. 



The first material evidence which I had of the presence of 

 Great Spotted Woodpeckers {Dryohates major anglicus) was 

 on July 26th, when in Lady well Wood I found a bunch of 

 wing feathers which could have belonged to no other bird. 

 On the 31st, I saw one on the summit of Craig Vinean (over 

 1,000 feet). This bird flew past me into a larch plantation 

 and I was able to identify it with certainty as a Great Spotted 

 Woodpecker. From then on to the middle of August I 

 frequently heard and saw them, particularly in Ladywell 

 Wood, where most of my time was spent. On August 3rd 

 in a larch plantation in the centre of Ladywell Wood, there 



