The Green Woodpecker. 19 
the hole above, but each chip is carried to some dis- 
tance by the industrious bird. Thus is the nesting 
place finished, and upon the wood-dust left at the 
bottom of the hole by these winged carpenters, the 
female lays hereggs. They are glistening white, and 
from five to eight in number, and both birds take 
their turn in sitting on them. 
The entrance to the nest is usually made at from 
twenty to thirty feet from the ground, but we have 
seen one scarcely four feet up, in which a Green 
Woodpecker was sitting. Although this bird gene- 
rally cuts out a hole for itself, it will occasionally 
take possession of a naturally formed one, provided 
it be dry, and of a suitable size. 
The plumage of this, our largest and commonest 
Woodpecker, possesses a beautiful blending of 
colours. The back is shiny olive green, shading off 
to a bright yellow on the tail coverts; the top of the 
head is of a rich crimson, contrasting perfectly with 
the green of the back, whilst the throat and breast 
are of a light straw colour, which is sometimes 
stained to a dark brown by the bird’s contact with 
the trunks of trees. 
The male differs from the female in the “ mous- 
tache ” ; they both possess one, but while his is red, 
hers is black! The peculiarity which has earned for 
itself the name “ moustache,” is a narrow line of 
