52 The Naturalist in Siluria. 



discovered the nest of a Green Woodpecker by seeing a 

 quantity of whitish-coloured fragments scattered about 

 at the bottom of an apple tree in my orchard — in all, over 

 a quart of them. Divining their origin, I looked up the 

 trunk, to see, at about seven feet from the ground, a cavity 

 with circular orifice, unmistakably the nesting-place of 

 Piciis viridis — which on examination proved to be the case. 

 Another fanciful belief about the Green Woodpecker, — 

 so common as to have earned for it one of its trivial 

 appellations, — is also mentioned by Tarrell, who says : 

 "They are said to be vociferous when rain is impending, 

 hence their name of rainbird." He thinks this probable, 

 and offers scientific explanation of it, in the feathers of 

 birds being readily affected by electricity, and so fore- 

 warning them of changes in the weather. I have heard 

 the Green Woodpecker sounding its note throughout the 

 morning hours when there was neither cloud nor other 

 sign of rain in the sky ; yet in the afternoon came a 

 downpour. Therefore I, too, might have believed there 

 was a connection between the bird's call and the con- 

 dition of the atmosphere, but for hundreds of other 

 instances contradicting this idea. Many a time and 

 oft have I listened to it laughing its loudest, and for 

 days in succession, during which not a drop of rain fell 

 — at times, too, when this was much wanted. While the 

 rain is actually falling, then the bird is usually vociferous 

 enough ; but that is not prediction ; more likely delight 

 at thinking the deluge of water may drive out ants and 

 other insects from their places of concealment. 



True, there is nothing very improbable in this bird, as 

 many others — beasts as well — being in some mysterious 

 way forewarned of approaching changes in the weather. 

 I only know that the warnings it is itself said to give. 



