BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 
seen by Mr. Richard H. W. Leach, in Eskdalemuir, 
on April 22nd, 1905. In a letter to Richard Bell of Castle 
O'er Mr Leach ^vrites : " The Woodpecker I saw last 
Easter on the trunk of a fir close to Moodlaw House must 
have been the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus 
minor, not major). The length of the latter is about 
9-4, wing 5-5 inches ; whereas the length of the former 
is only about 6 inches, wing 3-7 inches." 
The British Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has been 
separated from its continental aUies by Dr. Hartert by 
reason of its smaU size,* and is a fairly numerous resident in 
the south of England, becoming more rare m the north 
Its occurrence in our county is most unexpected, but 
Mr R Service vouches that his information is sufficiently 
authentic to enable me to place this species in my Hst 
without square brackets. 
THE KINGFISHER. Alcedo ispida, Linnaeus. 
Local name— King's Fisher. 
A not uncommon resident on the lower reaches of our rivers. 
In 1791 it was stated that in Kirkmichael parish " The 
King's Fisher comes up the rivers about Christmas and 
usuaUy stays about three or four weeks,"t and in 1794, that 
in the parish of St. Mungo " The King's Fisher frequently 
appears on the banks of the rivers."J About 1835 it is 
recorded as " frequently seen upon the banks of the Annan 
and of the ^,"§ and often seen on the banks of the 
Scar "II In Langholm it is thus mentioned : Among 
the more rare birds may be noticed the Kingfisher, which 
* Brit Birds (Mag.) Vol. I., p. 221. 
t Stat. Acct. Scot., Vol. I., p. 61. 
+ Op. cit., Vol. XI., p. 389. 
§ New Stat. Acct. Scot., Vol. IV., p. 382. 
II Op. cit.. Vol. IV., p. 464. 
