imiTISH BIRDS' NESTS. 355 



grass, moss, and hair as an inner lining. The nest 

 is placed in a little hollow, either natural or 

 scratched ont hy the bird. 



Eggs. — Four to five, pale greenish-white, light 

 broAvnish-yellow, or pale reddish-white in ground 

 colour, thickly speckled and spotted with dull 

 reddish-brown, and underlying markings of dark 

 grey. The markings sometimes form a zone at 

 the larger end. Size about -84 by -65 in. Dis- 

 tinguishable from those of the Skylark by small 

 reddish-brown spots and lighter and less obscured 

 ground colour. 



Time. — -March, April, May, and June. 



BemarJis. — Kesident and migratory. Notes: 

 sings on the wing and perched on the boughs of 

 trees ; call, uttered constantly during flight, 

 tweecUe, weedle, loeedle. Local and other names : 

 none. A close sitter. 



WOODPECKER, GREATER SPOTTED. 



De.'^crijjfion of Fareiit Birds. — Length nearly nine 

 and a half inches. Beak of medium length, straight, 

 sharp at the tip, and dusky. Irides red. Forehead 

 huffish ; round the eyes and ear-coverts dirty white. 

 Crown black ; back of head bright scarlet. A black 

 stripe commences at the gape and, widening, passes 

 backward under the eye and ear-coverts to the 

 nape ; another commences on the side of the throat 

 and, passing backwards, also meets the black on 

 the back of the neck. A horizontal, elongated patch 

 of white is enclosed by the black on either side of 

 the neck ; the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 are black. Wings black, variegated with white spots 

 and a large patch of the same colour on the scapulars. 



