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A FEW FURTHER NOTES on the GREAT SPOTTED 

 WOODPECKER (DENDROCOPUS MAJOR). 



By Oliver H. New. 



I HAVE already recorded an observation on this bird in ' The 

 Zoologist' (1900, p. 278), and, having made some further notes 

 from personal observations, which may be of interest, I propose 

 to set them out in detail. 



The previous note was made on May 15th, and during the 

 remainder of that month I was frequently able to watch the 

 tapping process, and to confirm the theory of its being used as a 

 call between these birds. I found that the tone of the note never 

 varied appreciably when the same bough was made use of, and, 

 although I discovered the bird tapping on other trees on two 

 occasions, yet the dead pine-bough mentioned in my former note 

 was evidently the favourite place, owing to its proving so excellent 

 a sounding-board. At a distance of some fifty or sixty yards 

 from this pine-tree stood a partially dead beech-tree, and at a 

 height of twelve feet or thereabouts from the ground, in the face 

 of the trunk, I observed a freshly made hole, beneath which 

 chips of dry wood were scattered on the ground. Suspecting 

 that my friends D. major were responsible for this hole, I kept a 

 sharp look-out, with the result that on several occasions, as I 

 approached the tree, I saw one of these birds hurriedly leave it, 

 and fly away to a distance. I soon discovered that, with these 

 birds, owing to their extreme shyness and marvellous keenness in 

 sight, it was impossible to make further observations without my 

 being concealed, and consequently I took up a position (May 23rd) 

 behind the lower branches of a beech-tree, at a distance of five 

 or six yards from the hole, of which I had an excellent view. 



After waiting for a quarter of an hour, at 5.30 p.m., the male 

 bird flew to the tree, and settled on a dead bough just above the 

 hole. He executed a series of comical sideway jumps, at the 

 same time peering about him cautiously, eventually tapping 

 gently with his beak upon the branch on which he was perching ; 



