Andalucia and its Big Game 63 
following spring in the worn and ragged plumes. It’s not poetic, 
but the fact.' This is not the place to enumerate all the char- 
acteristic forms of bird-life, and only one other shall be mentioned, 
chiefly because the incident occurred the day we drafted this 
chapter. One hears behind the rustle of strong wings, and there 
passes overhead in dipping, undulated fight a green woodpecker 
of the Spanish species, Gecinus sharpei. With a regular thud 
SPANISH GREEN WOODPECKER (Cecinus shapes) 
(1) Alighting. (2) Calling. 
he alights on the rough bark of a cork-oak in front, clings in 
rigid aplomb while surveying the spot for any sign of danger, 
then projects upwards a snake-like neck and with vertical beak 
gives forth a series of maniacal shrieks that resound through the 
silences.” By all means watch and study every phase of wild- 
1 There are, of course, exceptions, such as golden plovers, rulls, dunlin, godwits, knots, 
that do assume a vernal dress. 
2 This, the southernmost form of the green woodpecker, has much the most ringing voice. 
The closely allied northern form, (7. canus, that one lears constantly in Norway, utters but 
a sharp monosylabic note. A second curious fact may here be mentioned: that the 
great grey shrike, just named, Lunius meridional is, is resident in Spain throughout the year, 
while the closely allied and almost identical ZL. exeubitor breeds exclusively in the far north 
