166 THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



and polished. Average measurement, '83 inch in length, 

 by '62 inch in breadth. Incubation, performed by both 

 sexes, lasts fourteen days. The Wryneck will continue 

 laying egg after egg in the same nest just as regularly 

 as they are removed, as many as forty-two having been 

 taken in each of two successive seasons. 



DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS : The eggs of the Wryneck 

 are most likely to be confused with large examples of the 

 eggs of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but they may 

 be generally distinguished by their constantly larger 

 size and lesser amount of polish. As the two species 

 breed in very similar situations, great care should be 

 exercised in their identification. 



Family PICID^E. Genus GECINUS. 



GREEN WOODPECKER. 



GECINUS VIRIDIS (Linnaus). 

 Single Brooded. Laying season, April and May. 



BRITISH BREEDING AREA: The Green Woodpecker 

 is pretty generally distributed throughout the well- 

 timbered districts of England, from Yorkshire south- 

 wards. It is rarer and more local in the north than 

 in the south, and breeds very irregularly in the four 

 northern counties. It becomes common in most of the 

 counties adjoining the south coast, especially so in 

 Devon and Cornwall. This Woodpecker is a very 

 rare straggler to Scotland and Ireland, and does not 

 breed in either of those countries. 



