506 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



none at all from the gape down the sides of the 

 neck, which is black. 



Situation and Locality. In holes in trees, gener- 

 ally dug by the bird's own exertions, those com- 

 posed of soft wood being preferred. The hole is 

 from ten to eighteen inches deep. It breeds in 

 suitably wooded localities nearly all over England 

 and Wales, but is least numerous in the northern 

 counties, and does not breed in either Scotland or 

 Ireland. 



Materials. Only the chips and bits of decayed 

 wood that have become detached in hewing the 

 nesting-place. 



Eggs. Five to seven, sometimes eight, pure 

 white, unspotted, and glossy. Size about 1.3 by 

 .92 in. Distinguished by large size and appearance 

 of parent birds. 



Time. April and May. 



Remarks. Resident. Notes, several, which have 

 been represented as follows : male spring note, 

 tiacacan, tiacacan ; call, used all the year round, 

 pleu, pleu, pleu. Some writers represent the call 

 as yaffa, yaffa, yaffle! Local and other names: 

 Rainbird, Popinjay, Awlbird, Yaffle, Tongue Bird, 

 Gaily, Rain-fowl, Pick-a-tree, Whetile, Woodwale, 

 Wood-speight, Yaffingale. A close sitter, often 

 occupying the same nest year after year, when not 

 evicted by Starlings. I have known a Green 

 Woodpecker occupy herself day by day for a 

 whole fortnight in laboriously digging out a nest- 

 ing hole, and directly it was completed she was 

 turned out and the place taken possession of by 

 a pair of old Starlings. 



