96 



yellow ; least wing-coverts green like the back, the greater coverts more olive-green, this same colour 

 overspreading to the secondaries, which are externally barred with obsolete bands of yellowish green ; 

 quills brown, barred and toothed on the inner web with whitish, the outer web of the primaries marked 

 at regular intervals with spots of whitish, shaded with greenish on the inner primaries ; tail ashy brown, 

 the two middle feathers more decidedly of this colour, obsoletely barred with lighter ashy, and washed 

 with greenish near the base, the other tail-feathers uniform brown, inclining to olive-brown on the 

 under surface, the second and third sometimes exhibiting a yellowish tip ; under surface of the body 

 dull greenish, the throat grey like the head ; under wing-coverts whitish narrowly barred with dark 

 brown ; " bill bluish grey, except the basal edge of upper mandible and basal half of lower, which were 

 greenish yellow ; legs greenish grey ; claws bluish grey " (Swinhoe) . Total length 9"7 inches, culmen 1*4, 

 wing 5 "7, tail 4 - 3, tarsus 1*0. 



Adult Female. Exactly similar to the adult male, but wanting the crimson forehead, the entire head being 

 grey, slightly shaded with greenish ; the black moustachial stripe is also not so distinct. Total length 

 96 inches, culmen l - 35, wing 5 - 6, tail 4 - 3, tarsus TO. 



Young Male. Is like the old female, but has the forehead interspersed with a few crimson and orange 

 feathers. We have not seen any nestlings of this Woodpecker ; but Mr. Collett tells us that they are 

 mottled as in the Common Green Woodpecker ; from specimens now before us it would appear that the 

 young male does not show any symptoms of the red crown until the following December or January. 



Colour of Iris. The colour of the eye in the present species seems to vary considerably, these differences 

 being probably due to age. Thus in a specimen killed in China by Mr. Swinhoe the iris was " white, 

 with a slight wash of pink." Radde says that the iris is orange-yellow; but Von Schrenck gives it as 

 brownish red. 



Obs. We perceive little or no difference in specimens from various localities, excepting in the case of a bird 

 from Southern Russia in Lord Lilford's collection. This example is of a pale green above, contrasting 

 strongly with the clear grey of the head and neck, while the forehead is of a different red, inclining 

 rather to bright vermilion ; the under surface also is greyish with a slight shade of green, of which 

 latter colour there is not a trace on the head. The specimen in question may be, after all, only a very 

 old bird ; but it differs in the manner above described from all the other specimens examined by us. 

 Dr. Taczanowski informs us that Siberian examples are not so green as those from Europe, being more 

 grey in tone. 



This species is rather a more eastern bird than the ordinary Green Woodpecker, and does not 

 extend into the western parts of Europe, not being included among the British species. It is 

 very common in Siberia, and is found in considerable numbers in Japan, ranging into Northern 

 China. It cannot be said to be a very common bird in Southern Europe, but occurs in most of 

 the countries bordering the northern side of the Mediterranean, though, as far as is known, it is 

 quite unknown in Northern Africa. 



Commencing with its range in Scandinavia, Mr. E. Collett states that it is generally distri- 

 buted all over the south of Norway to the Trondhjems Fjord, and thence to the Polar circle, 

 though less numerous, and occurs at Saltdal. It breeds at Modum, in Thelemarken, down 

 to Skiens Fjord, and on the eastern part of the province of Christiania. It is not rare on 

 the west coast, but is generally seen in the autumn ; on the fell-sides it occasionally passes 

 the conifer region into the birch region, as, for instance, on the Dovre. Nilsson observes that 



