2 DECEMBER 1932, Page 13

MORE WOODPECKERS.

Further enquiry and information from watchful corre- spondents proves that the new habit of woodpeckers in attack- ing electric poles is much more widespread than I had thought ; though it remains true that the damage is limited to particular beats. The first examples were from Herefordshire, especially in the neighbourhood of Ledbury. The latest a're from Sussex and Surrey. A consulting engineer to the Sussex Electricity Supply Co. tells me that he " has seen a pole at Crawley with two holes in it, one of which was about five inches deep. It is interesting to note that only one sector of the company's lines has been attacked, that between Yield and Lowfield Heath." Green woodpeckers are, of course. common enough in many other parts of the area. A technical paper has reported injury to posts in the Bournemouth and Poole area and alluded to similar damage near Newark.