182 PICUS MARTIUS. 



with a Dane, the OA^erlooker of a large forest belonging to Count 



L , having been introduced to him by my companion, who was 



likewise a Dane. When he heard that I had come all the way from 

 England to find the 'Bo' [nest] of the Spilkraka [P . martius) , he 

 sent for his chief woodman to inquire what chance there was of 

 getting one. The woodman said that he had frequently seen birds 

 throughout the spring, and had in former years even noticed their 

 ' Bo/ but that it was generally so high that nobody could get at it; 

 that this year a pair of birds were known to frequent the edge of a 

 clearing about four miles distant, and that if we would accompany 

 him early next morning we might possibly discover the object of 

 our search. This was cheering intelligence, and caused us to make 

 an early start. Our way lay chiefly through a monotonous wood of 

 spruce firs, very uninteresting in appearance, and apparently desti- 

 tute of any species of bird, so much so, that my heart misgave me 

 as to the success of our undertaking. But on crossing the clearing 

 (a square of about 1000 yards), a Spilkraka was seen to slip quietly 

 away from the upper part of a tall spruce to which he had been 

 clinging, and to fly towards the far corner of the square, where he 

 uttered a single warning cry and disappeared. It took us a very 

 short time to cross the remaining space in the direction he had gone, 

 and it became speedily manifest that one object of our journey was 

 attained. We had found the 'Bo^ without any difficulty on the 

 skirts of the clearing, where the ground was depressed somewhat below 

 the general level ; and not far from the edge of a marsh there stood 

 the remains of an ancient birch some 30 feet in height, and slightly 

 overhanging towards the opening. Near the top on our side was a 

 fresh hole ; but what was more to the purpose, from out of that hole 

 there peered the unmistakeable head and bill of P. martius gazing 

 at the party without evincing much alarm. My first care was to 

 prevent my companion from blowing to pieces, at the trifling distance 

 of ten yards, that head so temptingly displayed before the muzzle of 

 his gun. This point gained, a tap from the woodman's axe caused 

 the bird to retreat ; when we commenced operations, pending which 

 the old ones remained in the vicinity. Sometimes they would come 

 within gunshot, and then, as if alarmed at their own audacity, swing 

 round to the other side of the tree to which they might be clinging, 

 poking so much of the head forwards as to enable them to see what 

 was going on. In this position they would beat a rapid and angry 

 tattoo upon the trees, and occasionally utter, in addition to their 

 ordinary cry, one of the most peculiar notes I ever heard from any 



