PICUS MARTIUS. 183 



European bird, and which more resembles the sharp and momentary 

 ring of a shrill-toned bell than any other sound with which I am 

 acquainted. We heard this note subsequently whilst operating upon 

 another nest ; but it appears not to be uttered except under great 

 excitement, and then, perhaps, only by the female. The entrance- 

 hole was within two feet of the top of the tree, which Avas easily 

 ascended, the bark being very coarse. On examining it I found the 

 edges much rougher than those of holes made by P. viridis, the sides 

 sloping slightly upwards towards the interior. In shape it was elliptical, 

 the horizontal being perhaps a foiu'th larger than the perpendicular 

 diameter. The roof of the cavity was quite honeycombed by the 

 strokes of the bird^s bill ; and this peculiarity was noticed in the two 

 nests subsequently discovered. The depth of the cavity below the 

 entrance-hole was rather less than two feet, which was quite sufficient 

 to prevent my ascertaining what lay at the bottom, though there was 

 no difficulty in introducing the hand as far as the upper part of the 

 cavity. An alarm that the old stump was giving way with my 

 weight brought me very speedily to the ground. The woodman 

 meanwhile cut down a young spruce, and had it reared up against the 

 ancient birch to prevent the anticipated catastrophe. He then went 

 up himself and laid open the nest — being able to do so with his hands 

 alone, so far as to introduce the whole of his arm into the cavity. 

 To my intense delight he proclaimed that there were eggs at the 

 bottom. I immediately ascended, in order to see them i?i situ; 

 but that was impossible without further enlarging the hole, for which 

 my fingers were not strong enough. The party below in the interval 

 had rigged up a long pole with a cap attached to the end of it, into 

 which I deposited the eggs, and then slipped down in time to receive 

 them once more into my hands. They were five in number, one much 

 fresher than the others, which were partially incubated; though on 

 blowing them, it was found that no feathers had been formed. In 

 their smooth ivory texture these eggs very much resemble the well- 

 known eggs of Picus viridis. The fresher one was of a glossy white, 

 and sufficiently transparent to show the colour of the yolk; the 

 others were slightly wood-stained, and presented a duller appearance, 

 owing to their having been incubated. When blown, this diff'erence 

 is removed ; but the wood-stains of course remain, and somewhat 

 detract from their beauty. In shape they resemble eggs of P. viridis, 

 and are not so much larger as I expected would be the case. 



" The hole was of this year's making. However, the bird is not 

 in the habit of always making a fresh hole, as I afterwards found out. 



o2 



