IGO BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
Jarbruck Linn (Glencaim),* and from a description of 
" a strange bird " seen tliere subsequently by Mrs. C. Laurie 
I have little doubt that this was a genuine occurrence. 
Mr William Laidlaw writes me from Langholm that he has 
onlv heard of one pair there, but that they nest every year m 
the bog (Canonbie). In 1909 Great Spotted Woodpeckers 
were seen at Castlemilk (St. Mungo) in January ; «> Close- 
burn and Glencairn parishes from April to June ; and I have 
reports of their having nested at RaehiUs (Johnstone), 
Auchengibbet Wood (Tynron), Springkell (Kirkpatrick- 
Fleming), and near Scotch Dyke just outside the parish 
boundary of Canonbie. One or possibly two pairs are 
believed to have passed the winter near Closebum ; and on 
December 23rd, 1909, I watched a bird of this species for 
about fifteen minutes, in some oak trees at Capenoch 
(Keir) • there were four inches of snow at the time. Ihe 
following spring Great Spotted Woodpeckers were again 
seen in Glencakn parish, and are believed to have nested at 
Closebum ; as they certainly did at RaehiUs and Springkell. 
On May 28th, I saw a nest in the decaying branch of an 
ash tree, about thirty feet from the ground, m Auchen- 
gibbet Wood : both birds were in close attendance. 
Owing to their retiring nature and their partiality for the 
higher branches of trees, these birds may often escape 
detection ; and it is probable that in some suitable locahties 
they may be resident. It is to be hoped that they may 
receive adequate protection from the local landlords and 
their gamekeepers, for they would prove a welcome and 
beautiful addition to our avifauna. 
Mr W R Fisher states that " The result of investigation 
into the utiUty of woodpeckers tends to show that these 
birds by their activity in the destruction of insects play a 
most useful part in nature, and should therefore be pro- 
tected by foresters."t . . a „a 
The extension of the range of this species m Scotland 
• Dumfries Courier and Herald, May 23rd, 1908. 
•f Man. Forestry, 1895, Vol. IV., p. 131. 
