78 WILD LIFE IN THE TREE TOPS 



Both of these birds often commence to lay in the month of February, but 

 since they are referred to in other chapters, we will not discuss them in detail here. 

 Probably the woodpeckers are the most attractive birds which inhabit 

 the beech woods, and of these the Green Woodpecker is the commonest ; whilst 

 the Greater Spotted is of rather less frequent occurrence, and the tiny Lesser 

 Spotted the rarest. The Greater Spotted, however, being more frequently met 

 with in the pine woods, has been dealt with in another chapter. 



The Green Woodpecker, like its pied relations, excavates its nesting-home 

 from the trunk or limb of a decaying tree, and does not, as is sometimes sup- 

 posed, bore into sound wood. 



There is one method by which it may be proved — even if the nesting-hole 

 is out of reach — ^whether the woodpecker has been boring into sound or dead 

 wood ; and that is by examining the chips of wood which are thrown out 

 and will be found at the foot of the tree — ^for the woodpecker does not carry 

 away such chips, as it is sometimes supposed to. The male Green Woodpecker 

 is distinguished from the female by having rather more crimson on the head, 

 and a crimson medial streak running down the otherwise black ' moustaches.' 

 Both of them take part in the excavation of their home. 



They are really most amusing-looking birds, and quite deserve the local 

 name of ' English parrot ' — as in fact they also do the ancient epithet of ' Yaffle,' 

 for their ringing cry does somehow suggest the word. 



As they climb, in a series of spasmodic jerks, up the smooth trunk of a 

 beech tree, one is inclined to wonder how so heavy a bird can manage to do so 

 with such ease. It is due to two facts : firstly, that their feet are especially 

 arranged for the purpose of climbing^ — having two toes in front and two behind, 

 which are armed with much curved and excessively sharp claws ; and secondly 

 that they, as it were, ' sit down ' on their extraordinarily stiff tail feathers. 

 The illustration of a Green Woodpecker at her nesting-hole perhaps shows 

 more precisely than may be described, the manner in which the bird thus 

 props itself up with its tail. 



Although the Green Woodpecker usually utihzes a fresh nesting-hole 

 annually, it so happens that this illustration shows a woodpecker at the entrance 

 to a nesting-hole some years old. 



The reason for this was that the woodpeckers had prepared a new hole 

 some four feet lower down in the same tree, but that almost as they had finished 

 their work, the place was appropriated by a pair of starUngs — ^which birds not 

 infrequently thus take advantage of the toils of the woodpecker. 



A nesting-site which is at some considerable height from the groimd is 

 usually selected, and the difficulties of obtaining successful photographs are 

 increased by the fact that the bark of the tree is too soft to hold the screws 

 which (it is hoped) will keep the camera in position, and the actual wood so 

 hard that it is difficult to persuade the screws to penetrate. In addition, the 



