24 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs 



Mouutaius to lat. 63^". In North Russia and Siberia a larger race with whiter 

 under parts occurs, whilst in Japan this Woodpecker has the white on the inner 

 secondaries developed into belts ; in Mongolia and China black scapulars are 

 assumed, in Turkestan, Persia, Asia Minor, and Palestine other forms are found, 

 some of which show traces of a crimson band on the breast, a character best 

 developed in North-west Africa, but which has been indicated even in British and 

 other European examples. None of the characters appear to be perfectly constant, 

 and in the Canarj' Islands, where this species is resident, our typical form has 

 been obtained The Great Spotted Woodpecker is an autumn visitor to Heligoland, 

 but according to Gatke certainl}- not a regular one ; he says : — " this bird occurs 

 here in only verj^ isolated instances ; two or three young birds are occasionally 

 seen during the autumn migration — but by no means every year — whilst an 

 old example is a rare exception." 



In Great Britain this species is resident but not common, but is generally 

 distributed through the better wooded parts of England, more especially in 

 some of the midland and southern counties ; towards the north it becomes much 

 rarer, whilst in Scotland and Ireland it is doubtful whether it breeds. In autumn 

 large numbers arrive on the eastern coasts of England and Scotland. 



The upper parts of this species are glossy black ; the forehead is sordid 

 whitish, the lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts white ; nape crimson ; a white patch 

 on the side of the neck separated from the white on the cheeks and ear-coverts 

 by a black collar ; scapulars white ; quills barred with white ; outer half of 

 three outermost tail-feathers also barred with white ; under parts huffish white ; 

 vent and under tail-coverts crimson ; bill slaty-black ; feet dark brown ; iris red. 

 The female is rather smaller and has no crimson on the nape ; young birds 

 have the crown crimson and the crimson of the vent and under tail-coverts duller. 



This Woodpecker haunts principally those localities where old timber abounds, 

 such as forests, large woods, parks, orchards, large recreation grounds ; also 

 plantations, large shrubberies, and pollard willows by the water-side. Owing to 

 its chiefl}^ frequenting the upper branches of lofty trees, it is little seen, and 

 consequently^ is supposed to be even rarer than it actually is. 



Speaking of the immigration of this species in the autumn of 1861, Mr. 

 Saxby ("Zoologist," p. 7932) says: — "Strange to say, not one female was to be 

 found among them, and, with one single exception, all were first year's birds. 

 The first two presented nothing unusual in their appearance, but on taking the 

 third one into my hand, I at once remarked the worn look of the bill, tail, and 

 claws. I immediately suspected that this was caused by the scarcity of trees 

 having driven the bird to seek" its food among stones and rocks, and upon 



