﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  31 
  

  

  some 
  red 
  about 
  the 
  head 
  ' 
  ; 
  the 
  bird 
  was 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  

   breadth 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  her. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  letter 
  written 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  W. 
  Forsyth 
  he 
  

   says 
  that 
  'the 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  Woodpecker 
  is 
  not 
  extinct 
  yet. 
  

   They 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  occasionally 
  in 
  this 
  neighbourhood 
  within 
  

   the 
  last 
  few 
  years, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  build 
  on 
  the 
  

   Nethy 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  fir 
  woods 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  years 
  ' 
  (in 
  lit. 
  8th 
  

   May 
  1885). 
  

  

  This, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  another 
  statement 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  bred 
  within 
  

   the 
  last 
  twenty 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  hole 
  of 
  a 
  birch-tree, 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  

   unable 
  to 
  verify. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  these 
  two 
  statements 
  came 
  

   from 
  the 
  same 
  source. 
  

  

  In 
  1892 
  we 
  are 
  however 
  once 
  more 
  confronted 
  with 
  a 
  positive 
  

   and 
  often-repeated 
  assurance 
  that 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  Wood- 
  

   peckers 
  were 
  distinctly 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  head-forester 
  on 
  the 
  Countess 
  

   of 
  Seafield's 
  properties 
  in 
  1890. 
  Our 
  informant 
  assured 
  us 
  that 
  — 
  

   1 
  1 
  saw 
  two 
  Woodpeckers 
  hammering 
  on 
  an 
  old 
  blasted 
  pine.' 
  

   He 
  spoke 
  most 
  positively, 
  and 
  added, 
  1 
  It 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  several 
  

   others 
  around.' 
  Dr. 
  Forsyth 
  repeated 
  the 
  same 
  information, 
  and 
  

   seemed 
  convinced 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  how 
  

   often 
  the 
  statement 
  has 
  been 
  reiterated. 
  Our 
  informant 
  also 
  said 
  

   that 
  there 
  are 
  more 
  old 
  stocks 
  around 
  the 
  localities 
  he 
  named 
  

   than 
  anywhere 
  else 
  in 
  the 
  forests. 
  He 
  told 
  us 
  also 
  that 
  he 
  once 
  

   sawed 
  an 
  old 
  stock 
  lengthways, 
  and 
  assured 
  us 
  that 
  he 
  found 
  the 
  

   remains 
  of 
  old 
  (1) 
  nests 
  in 
  it. 
  He 
  was 
  also 
  at 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  

   piece 
  of 
  pine 
  sent 
  to 
  Dunipace 
  by 
  orders 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  wood 
  manager. 
  

   He 
  thinks 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  1892 
  had 
  removed 
  still 
  farther 
  back 
  to- 
  

   wards 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  hills. 
  

  

  Again, 
  the 
  same 
  statement 
  is 
  accentuated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Grant- 
  

   Thompson, 
  who 
  on 
  questioning 
  the 
  same 
  witness 
  was 
  again 
  assured 
  

   of 
  the 
  fact. 
  'He 
  saw 
  them 
  the 
  year 
  before 
  last' 
  (i.e. 
  1890) 
  — 
  

   naming 
  the 
  locality 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  also 
  affirms 
  that 
  a 
  pair 
  were 
  seen 
  the 
  

   same 
  year 
  at 
  another 
  locality 
  by 
  another 
  witness, 
  naming 
  locality 
  

   and 
  witness's 
  name. 
  For 
  evident 
  reasons 
  we 
  decline 
  to 
  make 
  

   these 
  particulars 
  too 
  public. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  other 
  persons 
  examined 
  

   agreed 
  in 
  its 
  absolute 
  disappearance, 
  but 
  then 
  none 
  of 
  these, 
  

   perhaps, 
  have 
  so 
  good 
  opportunities 
  of 
  observation 
  as 
  the 
  present 
  

   witness. 
  1 
  

  

  1 
  As 
  we 
  are 
  informed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Grant 
  Thompson, 
  the 
  old 
  pines 
  at 
  the 
  localities 
  

  

  