GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER 3? 



possible. I was able eventually to catch her 

 with my other hand, although she still held my 

 finger in her beak, which at length a friend gently 

 opened and so released me. We carefully ex- 

 amined this bird, and then let her go, and very 

 pleased she was to get away. There was one 

 egg in the nest which we were able to prove by 

 touching it with a thin twig. 



Two days afterwards, in passing by this nest 

 again, I was puzzled on finding that the one egg 

 had gone, although the bird was still in possession. 

 A sharp shower of rain led to my taking shelter 

 beneath a neighbouring tree, and while there I was 

 further surprised to see the Woodpecker's egg 

 lying near my feet, and with a good-sized hole in 

 the shell probably caused by the bird's own beak. 

 At first I could not understand how this egg had 

 come there ; but on examining the depth of the 

 nesting-hole I found it to be nearly two inches 

 deeper than when first examined. The bird had 

 no doubt thought that we wanted her eggs, and 

 had thus deepened the nest, whereon finding that 

 the one egg very much hindered the work, re- 

 moved it. 



The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is very scarce 

 in our woods, and previous to last year only one 

 had been seen in them in my memory, and this 



