70 GBEY WOODPEGKEB. 



found in the soutliern parts of this country accidentally. It also occurs 

 in Russia and Finland, but Mr. Wheelwright informs me that it has 

 not been observed by the Swedish naturalists in Lapland. It is some- 

 times found in Switzerland, near Zurich, and occasionally in France, 

 but never, according to Temminck, in Holland. It is found acci- 

 dentally in Denmark. It is rare in the south of Germany, but in the 

 north is more plentiful than R. mridis. It is in this country (Germany) 

 a bird of passage, leaving in October, and returning to breed in March. 

 It is mentioned by Count Miihle and Dr. Lindermayer among the 

 rarer birds of Greece. According to Temminck it is also found in 

 America and the north of Asia, but it is not included in Bonaparte's 

 list of the birds of the former; nor is the latter given as a locality by 

 the same or other modern authorities. 



Salvadori (Fauna d'ltalia) writes of this species, ''It is found only 

 alono- the Alpine region, but in no place is it so common as it is in 

 some parts of Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and Russia. It is 

 stationary but rare in the Tyrol, occurs accidentally in the Veronese, 

 where it is said to have been twice found by Perini. Two individuals 

 taken in the Alps, in the valley of Lanzo, have been preserved in the 

 Museum of Turin. It is also accidental in the maritime Alps, and 

 from time to time is taken in Liguria. Risso, Durazzo, Althammer, 

 and Perini are the only Italian authors who mention this species." 



I am indebted to Naumann's " Naturgeschichte des Vogel Deutsch- 

 lands" for most of the information contained in the notices of this and 

 the following species of Woodpecker. 



In winter the Grey Woodpecker chodses a locality for its residence 

 which is solitary, and as much as possible unobtruded upon by man. 

 Each bird seems to have its own hunting-ground, over which it roams 

 regularly day by day. It is generally to be found on the same trees, 

 and if it meets in its territory with the Green Woodpecker, a battle 

 royal is sure to ensue, in which the former, being the weakest, always 

 gets the worst. We may therefore fairly assume, according to the 

 Darwinian code, that it is gradually becoming exterminated. But we 

 have no evidence of this, nor any marks of a happily directed diver- 

 gence of form in the Green Woodpecker to give plausibility to such 

 a supposition. 



"The trees and bushes," says Naumann, ''about my residence are 

 always hunted over by a Green Woodpecker, which, when driven away 

 by a shot in autumn, is replaced by another later. Once a female 

 Grey Woodpecker came within the above hunting-ground in March; 

 but it became restless, did not consort with the Green Woodpecker, 

 and called unto itself a mate. Another time a male Grey-head came 



