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  BIRDS. 
  

  

  Swedish 
  forest 
  ; 
  these 
  would 
  scarcely 
  have 
  filled 
  up, 
  though 
  in 
  a 
  

   live 
  tree 
  this 
  might 
  be 
  the 
  case. 
  But 
  does 
  the 
  Woodpecker 
  ever 
  

   make 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  a 
  living 
  fir 
  % 
  1 
  Our 
  idea 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  would 
  be 
  

   birdlimed 
  by 
  its 
  own 
  exertions, 
  for 
  the 
  resin 
  would 
  come 
  running 
  

   out 
  as 
  the 
  bird 
  worked, 
  and 
  stick 
  to 
  its 
  feet, 
  bill, 
  and 
  feathers. 
  

  

  Lord 
  Tweedmouth 
  sent 
  us 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  

   of 
  this 
  bird, 
  which 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  remember 
  to 
  have 
  seen 
  mentioned 
  

   before 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  During 
  the 
  nut 
  and 
  acorn 
  season 
  the 
  Woodpecker 
  is, 
  

   like 
  all 
  other 
  birds 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  of 
  year, 
  in 
  its 
  pride 
  of 
  plumage. 
  

   Until 
  they 
  become 
  so 
  they 
  roost 
  in 
  leafy 
  trees 
  ; 
  afterwards 
  in 
  trees 
  

   bare 
  of 
  leaves 
  in 
  preference 
  to 
  firs 
  and 
  evergreens.' 
  

  

  At 
  vol. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  258 
  of 
  the 
  Lays 
  of 
  the 
  Deer 
  Forest 
  the 
  authors 
  

   say 
  that 
  the 
  1 
  northern 
  ' 
  Woodpecker 
  comes 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  

   and 
  remains 
  until 
  decline 
  of 
  summer, 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   dead 
  firs 
  are 
  pierced 
  by 
  its 
  holes, 
  and 
  they 
  further 
  give 
  a 
  short 
  

   description 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  O.S.A., 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  only 
  mentions 
  

   the 
  bird 
  as 
  an 
  autumn 
  visitant. 
  If 
  this 
  bird 
  were 
  a 
  regularly 
  

   migrating 
  species, 
  then 
  this 
  would 
  prove 
  a 
  new 
  feature 
  in 
  its 
  

   natural 
  history, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  always 
  understood 
  that 
  it 
  lived 
  all 
  

   the 
  winter 
  in 
  the 
  coldest 
  regions, 
  except 
  in 
  phenomenal 
  seasons. 
  2 
  

  

  MacGillivray 
  wrote 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  1840 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  1 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  rare,' 
  

   though 
  ' 
  a 
  permanent 
  resident.' 
  St. 
  John 
  never 
  mentions 
  the 
  bird 
  

   at 
  all. 
  

  

  In 
  1843 
  Woodpeckers 
  (and 
  squirrels) 
  were 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  

   of 
  Duthil, 
  though 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  old 
  trees 
  had 
  been 
  bored 
  by 
  

   the 
  birds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  vermin 
  of 
  all 
  sorts, 
  winged 
  and 
  

   four-footed 
  (our 
  correspondent, 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  Eobertson, 
  especially 
  men- 
  

   tions 
  the 
  salmon-tailed 
  gled), 
  were 
  in 
  swarms, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  not 
  

   only 
  were 
  white 
  hares 
  and 
  grouse 
  comparatively 
  scarce, 
  but 
  

   ' 
  hardly 
  any 
  bird 
  could 
  escape 
  them.' 
  Mr. 
  Eobertson 
  was 
  keeper 
  

   in 
  that 
  locality, 
  but 
  was 
  away 
  from 
  1845 
  to 
  1850, 
  when 
  he 
  

   returned, 
  and 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Duthil 
  forest 
  with 
  a 
  staff 
  

   of 
  keepers 
  to 
  help 
  him 
  in 
  clearing 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  vermin. 
  He 
  was 
  

   there 
  for 
  other 
  ten 
  years, 
  during 
  which 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  older 
  

   trees 
  were 
  cut 
  down, 
  and 
  these 
  too 
  where 
  the 
  Woodpeckers 
  used 
  

  

  1 
  We 
  photographed 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  a 
  live 
  tree 
  at 
  Dunipace, 
  which 
  was 
  sent 
  down 
  from 
  

   Strathspey 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  and 
  the 
  gum 
  was 
  exuding 
  from 
  the 
  holes 
  when 
  we 
  did 
  so. 
  

  

  2 
  Not 
  true 
  migration 
  in 
  fullest 
  sense, 
  but 
  revisiting 
  the 
  scenes 
  of 
  their 
  youth, 
  and 
  

   ready 
  to 
  seize 
  an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  renewing 
  their 
  residence. 
  

  

  