388 BIRDS OF UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE IN UPPER CANADA. 



CAPTURE OF TWO BIRDS OF UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE, 

 IN UPPER CANADA. 



BY T. J. COTTLE, F.R.C.S.E. 



Read before the Canadian Institute, March 5th, 1859. 



Picus (Dendrocopus : Swainson) Meridionalis. Little 

 Georgian Woodpecker. 



Swainson, in a note in the Fauna Boreali Americana, under the 

 ahove name, thus describes a bird, which he suggests might be found 

 occasionally in the northern parts of America : 



" Woodpecker, varied with black and white ; crown, black ; a 

 broad red band on the hind head ; second quill equal to the eighth ; 

 smaller than Picus pubescens, which it resembles in general appear- 

 ance and rounded form of the tail feathers. The under plumage, 

 however, is hair brown (as dark, but not as yellow as that of P. 

 major) instead of white, or whitish, as in P. pubescens. The red 

 band is much broader, and the relative length of quill is different. 

 Inhabits Georgia. As we have seen as yet but two specimens of this, 

 we consider its claims require further confirmation." 



In September, 1854, I shot a bird, which I think agrees with the 

 above ; and as I can find no description corresponding to it in either 

 Wilson or Audubon, it may be worth while laying it before the mem- 

 bers of the Canadian Institute, for their opinion. 



I send a rough sketch of my bird, which may serve to show the 

 peculiarities in the marking. It differs so much from P. pubescens 

 as to preclude any idea of its being a variety. In addition to Swain- 

 son's description, I would give the following : Length, six inches. 

 In my specimen, which I suspect to be a young one of the year, the 

 forehead is black, intermixed with rufous ; towards the occiput, the 

 red predominates, but is spotted with black. I have no doubt but 

 that in the next moult it would answer the Swainson description. 

 From the bill, passing over the eye and round the head, is a band of 

 dirty white ; under this, passing through the eye, is another of 

 black — below which, one of light rufous shading, with dirty white, 

 runs round the lower part of the neck, nearly to the centre, where it 

 is separated from that on the other side by black. The whole of the 

 under parts are of a hair brown. The lateral tail feathers are cinna- 



