62 3UITISH BIRDS, THEIR EGGS AND NESTS. 



lined with roots ; the cavity containing the eggs often seeming tc 

 be not very considerable. Now and then a nest is met with 

 carefully and strongly compacted, and sufficiently cup-shaped 

 The Jay lays five or six e^gs of a faint shade of dusky green foi 

 ground-colour, closely and thickly freckled all over with lighi 

 brown. Fig 9, plate V. 



124. NUT-CRACKER (Nutifraga caryocatactes). 

 A bird which has probably been met with less than half-a-score 

 times in all in this country. 



GROUP III. SCANS011ES. 



FAMILY L picnm 



1:25. GREAT BLACK WOODPECKER (Pious martins). 

 Too rare a visitant to demand special notice in our pages. 



126. GREEN WOODPECKER (Picns viridis}. 

 Wood-spite, Rain-fowl, Rain-bird, Hew-hole, Yaffle, Whet-ile, 



written Eaqual in the form Ecle. I have no idea of the origin 

 or etymology of either form, but I have given these names gene- 

 rally in the thought that they may be helpful to some, and 

 interesting to other young egg-collectors. The Green Wood- 

 pecker is the most common, and much the best known of all our 

 English Woodpeckers. Besides being a very handsome bird, its 

 organization (as is indeed the case with all the tribe) is so beau- 

 tifully adapted to its mode of life, as to merit a brief notice at 

 our hands. Its strong prehensile feet and claws, two toes being 

 directed forward and two backwards, fit it not only for moving 

 in all directions, and with wonderful readiness and ease in any 

 direction whatever, about the trunk or limbs of a tree, but also 

 for grasping the surface with great tenacity when necessity arises 

 for applying its strong bill to penetrating or dislodging either 

 bark or portions of the wood itself. When thus occupied, the 

 tail comes into use, and the bones at the lower extremity of the 

 skeleton are so formed as to enable the stiff, pointed tail-feathers 

 to be applied to the tree in such a way as to strengthen the pur- 

 chase. already obtained by the firm foot-hold. Add to all this the 

 "ength of the tongue, its great extensibility, specially provided 

 for by a peculiar arrangement of muscles, together with the 

 structure of the tongue itself remarkable for its sharp, horny 

 tip and barb-like bristles on either side near the point and we 

 have one of Nature's most beautiful accommodations of means to 

 the intended end which can well be offered to our admiring notice. 



