Ornithological Notes. By George Bolam. 351 



seen together by Mr Grey, about 12th November, and remained for 

 several weeks) ; and near Dans. 



At Chillingham, although none were seen, the battered and peeled 

 trunks of the old Scotch Firs showed plainly enough that the birds had 

 been there, and in other places similar evidence was forthcoming. 



About the beginning of January 1890, a person from Eglingham saw a 

 Woodpecker upon a tree by the roadside near Alnwick, and watched it 

 go into a hole in the trunk, whereupon he climbed the tree and caught 

 the bird, which was in adult plumage, and took it to Alnwick to be 

 stuffed. For a month or two after this, one was seen in the park at 

 Alnwick. 



At Marchmont, Thomas Smith, gamekeeper, shot one towards the end 

 of January 1890, and writing in the following July, says, " For the past 

 twelve or fourteen years I have taken a very great interest in watching 

 the birds in this district, more especially anything rare, and I feel safe in 

 saying that more Great Spotted Woodpeckers were to be seen here 

 between the beginning of November and the 18th of May last, than there 

 were in all the previous years of my observation. I believe there were 

 upwards of twenty birds in and about the woods. I have seen them at 

 different times, in various places, and have been within a few yards of 

 them many times. The finest specimen it has ever been my luck to see, 

 remained in the wood close to the Kennels, from December last till 14th 

 June, when he finally disappeared, at any rate we have not seen him since 

 then. I cannot say whether they breed here or not, as I have never seen 

 any nests yet. All the same I am under the impression that they do 

 breed here, else why were they so numerous, and seen so long in this 

 district this season ? Thinking I would be able to entice some of them 

 closer to the house, in order to study their habits, I had some decayed 

 wood, principally Scotch Fir with the bark on, laid down a few yards 

 from my door during the winter months. The ruse was successful, for in 

 a few days one came, and began to strip the bark in search of insects. 

 We were careful not to molest it in any way. It came daily for weeks, 

 and got bolder as time went on, sometimes staying for hours at a time. 

 The under keeper, my wife, and myself passed and repassed it many a 

 time, and it never seemed frightened or disturbed in any way. But a few 

 head of poultry going about, apparently annoyed it a good deal. The 

 hens occasionally got their food in a tin basin, and the tapping of their 

 bills on the tin seemed to enrage the Woodpecker very much. He would 

 fly at them in a most determined manner, something like a Hawk, utter a 

 sharp shrill cry, and then fly back to begin work harder than before, 

 stripping the bark in search of food. My opinion is, that when he heard 

 the tapping on the tin, he thought it was some of his own species at work, 

 and meant to fight them." 



At the meeting of the Club at Callaly in June 1890, we saw evidence of 

 Woodpeckers upon the trees, and Mrs Browne had seen one of the birds 

 during the spring ; while the gamekeeper reported that a pair had been 



