BIRDS FROM NORTHERN AND WESTERN PERSIA. 871 



Halcyon smyrnensis, L.— White-breasted Kingfisher. 



I saw several of this most beautiful Kingfisher at Kermanshah at the end 

 of November and the beginning of December 1918. 



Piciis viridis karelini, Brandt. ( ? ) — Green Woodpecker, 



1 2 » Noglabar — 4th March. 



1 c? ,Bandar-i-Gez— 13th December 1918 (C. M. I.). 

 The Green Woodpecker is another of the birds which are common on the 

 northern slopes of the Elburz, in the drier forest, but which do not occur in the 

 wet forest which surrounds Resht. This species is found commonly up to the 

 tree-line, at about 6,000 feet. The wings of the two specimens brought home 

 measure 158 mm., in each case : whether the Green Woodpecker of the forest 

 of Gilan and Mazandaran is a separable race I am unable to say. At any rate 

 it is so close to other subspecies that a couple of skins are insufficient to settle 

 the question. 



Dryobates syriacus synacus (Hempr. and Ehren.). — Syrian Pied Woodpecker. 



1 2 , Kermanshah— November 1918. 



1 d » 1 $ , Hamadan — December 1918. 



Id, 1$, Tehran— June (R. E. C). 

 The Syrian Pied Woodpecker is common in winter in the plat<?au all the way 

 from Karind to Qazvin. Cheesman found a nest in a pollard willow in the 

 city of Hamadan on 30th May, but the pair he shot at Gulahek, Tehran, on 11th 

 June were drilhng a ne&ting hole, also in a ^villow tree. This bird is always 

 extremely wary and difficult to obtain, but is quite one of the regular garden 

 birds of the country, and one constantly sees it in the Legation garden in Tehran. 

 I have compared this series -with skins from SjTia and Asia Minor. The deve- 

 lopment of white banding in the outer two pairs of tail feathers is a very 

 variable character, apparently of no sub-specific significance. 



Dryobates in/ijor poelzami (Bogd.). — Great Spotted Woodpecker. 

 1 (^ , 1 2 Resht — January and February. 



1 2 , Noglabar — IMarch. 



2 imm. c? , Tula Rud, Tahsh— July. 



The differences between this race of the Great Spotted Woodpecker and the 

 race with which I have just dealt are so apparent in the field that these birds 

 furnish the clearest example of the difference between the avifauna on the plateau 

 and the forest. The present race is absolutely characteristic of the forest, and 

 occurs as far south as Noglabar, which is close to the edge of the forest : from 

 there northwards to the Caspian it is a common bird and one which is found 

 equally in the dry and wet locahtes. 



It appears that the first plumage is unknown, and I have obtained this dis- 

 cription of it from Mr. Witherby ; it is taken from the specimens from Tula 

 Rud. " Differs from the adult ae in other D. major by the crown being crimson, 

 each feather having a crimson tip ; the vent is dull crimson and the belly lias a 

 very faint tinge of crimson or yellow : the black stripe from the base of the lower 

 mandible is almost as strongly marked as in the adult, and is continued as in 

 the adult ; most of the ear-coverts in one specimen are sooty black, and in the 

 other the centre of the ear-coverts is the same." 



lynx torquilla torquilla, L. — The Wryneck. 

 2 J , Qazvin — 4th September. 



The Wryneck passed through Qazvin in considerable numbers during the first 

 ten days of September and was for a short time one of the commonest birds in 

 the gardens. 



