BIRDS. 243 
bedding formed of the bones of small fish, and some 
other substances, evidently the castings of the parent 
animals. This bedding is generally half an inch thick, 
and mixed with earth ; and on it the female deposits and 
hatches her eggs. When the young ones are nearly full 
feathered, they are extremely voracious ; and the old 
birds not supplying them with all the food they can de- 
vour, they are continually chirping, and may be disco- 
vered by their noise. 
THE COMMON GREEN WOODPECKER 
(Picus viridus,) 
Receives his name from the facility with which he pecks 
the insects from the chinks of trees and holes in the bark. 
The bill is straight, strong, and angular at the end ; and 
in most of the species is formed like a wedge, for the 
purpose of piercing the trees. The nostrils are covered 
with bristles. The tongue is very long, slender, cylin- 
drical, bony, hard, and jagged at the end. The toes are 
placed two forward and two backward ; and the tail con- 
sists of ten hard, stiff, and sharp-pcinted feathers. A 
Woodpecker is often seen hanging by his claws, and resting 
M 2 
