38 DOWN NIGHTINGALE VALLEY: 
wryneck’s) is much like the dark bark of 
trees, and he keeps close to the wood on 
which he creeps. The nest being always in 
a crack or hole, we did not expect to find one 
that would be photographable, but perhaps we 
shall some day. It is well made—generally 
in April—four to eight white reddish-brown 
spotted eggs being laid. 
We had seen many starlings on our way 
down here, and they are almost everywhere. 
We are all familiar with the bird, but few 
have seen the nest. We found one in an old 
tree stump, but it was too high to photo- 
graph. It contained three delicately tinted 
pale greenish-blue eggs, without markings or 
spots of any kind (five are generally laid), 
and we had to reach down far to get at them. 
The structure is not a true nest at all. Any 
one could imitate it. Select a hole some- 
where, high up or near the ground, under 
the eaves of a roof, a crevice in a wall, in 
fact anywhere you like, carelessly arrange 
in it, in a circular manner, a collection of 
hay, straw, and pieces of stick, a few roots and 
