162 PICIDjE. 



contained five most beautiful glossy eggs, the shells of 

 which were perfectly white, and so transparent that the 

 yelks shone through, giving them a delicate pink colour, 

 but which is lost in the blowing. I replaced the nest, and 

 visited it during the ensuing week, and was induced, out 

 of curiosity, to examine it again, when, to my astonish- 

 ment, I found the birds had not deserted the hole, she 

 having laid six more eggs since. I took these away, and 

 was obliged to keep them, as I was only able to replace 

 the nest by again thrusting it up in the inside of the tree 

 as before, which I did. I again visited the spot in the 

 following week, and found that they had still pertinaciously 

 adhered to their domicile, having further laid four more 

 eggs. I repeated the experiment ; but not having an op- 

 portunity of visiting the tree until ten days afterwards, I 

 thought at the time that the nest was abandoned, and was 

 not undeceived until I had again withdrawn the nest, 

 having taken the precaution of endeavouring to frighten 

 the old bird off should she be on the nest, which I found 

 was the case, she suffering me to pull the nest to the bot- 

 tom of the tree before she attempted to escape : there were 

 seven eggs which were slightly sat upon. What appears 

 to me extraordinary is that the bird should suffer her nest 

 to be disturbed five times, and the eggs (amounting alto- 

 gether to twenty-two) to be taken away at four different 

 periods within the month before she finally abandoned the 

 spot she had selected."' 



The young birds are easily tamed, and are great fa- 

 vourites with boys in this country, but more particularly so 

 in France, where it is customary to tie a piece of thin 

 string to one of the legs of the bird, and carrying it from 

 one tree to another, allow it to search the bark for insects ; 

 it climbs with equal facility over any part of the clothes. 



