138 



GREY WOODPECKER. 



regularly day by day. It is generally to be found 

 on the same trees, and if it meets in its territory with. 

 the Green Woodpecker, a battle royal is sure to ensue, 

 in which the former, being the weakest, always gets 

 the worst. We may therefore fairly assume, according 

 to the Darwinian code, that it is gradually becoming 

 exterminated. But we have no evidence of this, nor 

 any marks of a happily directed divergence of form in 

 the Green Woodpecker to give plausibility to such a 

 supposition. 



"The trees and bushes," says Naumann, "about my 

 residence are always hunted over by a Green Wood- 

 pecker, which, when driven away by a shot in autumn, 

 is replaced by another later. Once a female Grey 

 Woodpecker came within the above hunting-ground in 

 March; but it became restless, did not consort with 

 the Green Woodpecker, and called unto itself a mate. 

 Another time a male Grey-head came and disputed 

 the rights of territorial ownership with the Green. A 

 terrible battle ensued, which ended in the death of 

 the intruder." 



"For a number of years I have known a pair of 

 Grey Woodpeckers inhabit a large wood about two 

 miles from my residence. They prefer leafy trees to 

 pines, and woods in grassy mountains well watered by 

 rivers have more charms for them than the hill-side 

 or the mountain forest." 



The Grey Woodpecker, like our own, loves to dwell 

 where there are plenty of old oaks, beeches, aspens, 

 or elms standing out in their own solitary and pic- 

 turesque beauty. It will remain in the same neigh- 

 bourhood so long as it can obtain its favourite food — 

 ants. When they fail it takes its departure, and does 

 not return. It is often seen on or about old willow 



