58 BIRDS' NESTS. 



the young oologist, if he lives in a woodland 

 district, and is skilful in swarming a tree, 

 stands a fair chance of making a prize of some 

 of them. The Green Woodpecker, Picus viridis, 

 the largest of the three, hollows out for itself 

 a hole in the trunk of an ash or elm, always 

 choosing, it is said, a spot in which there are 

 symptoms of incipient decay. This statement, 

 however, requires confirmation. It constructs 

 no nest, but lays its eggs on some of the chips 

 which it has torn off in the course of its 

 operations. As if afraid lest, by scattering at 

 the foot of the tree the fragments of wood re- 

 moved during its excavations, it should betray 

 its haunts, it has the credit of carrying them 

 away to a distance. It lays from five to seven 

 eggs, smooth, shining, and pure white, and 

 about an inch and a quarter in length. As it 

 belongs to the order of Climbers, the young 

 birds show their natural propensity at a very 

 early age, climbing about the trunk of the 

 tree before they are able to fly. 



