4820 Tue ZooLocist—Marcu, 1876. 
brother naturalists; but so long a time (thirteen years) having 
elapsed since it was written, and since both ornithologists now 
enjoy that “grata quies” which is the eventual lot of all men, 
whatever their opinions, I think I need no longer hesitate to give 
publicity to Mr. Doubleday’s views. After expressing a very decided 
opinion on Dr. Saxby’s communication my friend proceeds:— 
“No woodpeckers ever appear ‘in great numbers’—mostly one 
or two atatime. No woodpecker frequents the roofs of houses, or 
dung-hills, or meddles with horse-dung on the open ground among 
heather, or feeds upon mountain-ash berries.” 
I will now extract the final statement about these woodpeckers 
as published at page 7932 of the first series of the ‘ Zoologist,’ 
and reprinted at page 138 of Dr. Saxby’s invaluable ‘ Birds of 
Shetland’ :— 
“In a recent number of the ‘ Zoologist’ (Zool. 7754) I recorded 
the capture of two specimens of the spotted woodpecker (Picus 
major) in the island of Unst. During the next few weeks many 
more were killed, not only in Unst, but also throughout nearly the 
whole extent of the Shetland Isles: the wind was blowing steadily 
from the south-east at the time. I am also informed that about 
the same time several were killed in Orkney. 
“The sudden and almost simultaneous appearance of ‘large 
numbers of this species in various localities, where it is evidently 
considered an uncommon visitor, is a fact well worthy of the 
attention of ornithologists, inasmuch as a careful investigation 
might tend to throw considerable light upon the question of migra- 
tion. It would be interesting to ascertain the proportion of the 
sexes among those specimens which were obtained, as well as the 
direction of the wind at the time of their arrival. Having heard 
that woodpeckers only attack such trees as are unsound, I was at 
first unwilling to kill more than the two already mentioned, but as 
the leaves began to fall, observing that large portions of the bark 
had been stripped from some of the healthiest and most vigorous of 
the trees in Dr. Edmonston’s garden at Halligarth, I at length 
obtained a very reluctant permission to shoot as many of the 
unfortunate but mischievous birds as ventured within the forbidden 
enclosure. To those of my countrymen in Old England who have 
never wandered far from their own green woods, and to whom the 
loss of a few small trees would be a matter of little importance, the 
above may appear a somewhat cruel proceeding, but for all that it 
