. Birds of Britain . other breeds in the hole of a tree, and the six round whiteeggs are laid on the wood itself without any attemptat a nest. If the hole be visited during incubation thesitting bird will utter a peculiar hissing noise, and at thesame time twist her neck in a most surprising habit, which is well calculated to make the observerbelieve the hole to be tenanted by a snake, has given riseto the name of Snake-bird as weU as the better-knownone of Wryneck. The sexes are alike in plumage, thegeneral colour being greyish with dark streaks of brownishblack on the
. Birds of Britain . other breeds in the hole of a tree, and the six round whiteeggs are laid on the wood itself without any attemptat a nest. If the hole be visited during incubation thesitting bird will utter a peculiar hissing noise, and at thesame time twist her neck in a most surprising habit, which is well calculated to make the observerbelieve the hole to be tenanted by a snake, has given riseto the name of Snake-bird as weU as the better-knownone of Wryneck. The sexes are alike in plumage, thegeneral colour being greyish with dark streaks of brownishblack on the nape and scapulars. Throat, upper breast,and flanks yellowish, becoming paler on the belly, withnarrow black bars and arrow markings. The young aregreyer, and have no yellow or arrow-shaped markings onthe under parts. Length 7 in.; wing 34 in. Towards the end of September it takes its departure,but some individuals frequently remain much later, andprobably occasionally spend the winter with us. WRYNECKlynx torqidlla. The Green WoodpeckerTHE GREEN WOODPECKER Qecinus viridis (Linnsus) The cheery pleu, plen, pleu of the Yaffle as it fliesfrom one tree to another may be heard in most parts ofEngland and Wales, though in Scotland and Ireland it isalmost unknown. It is a moderate-sized and somewhatungainly bird in its actions, spending its life among trees,though it by no means restricts itself to woods, especiallyin autumn, when it may frequently be seen ascendingsome hedgerow tree, with its characteristic jerking motion,the stiff and pointed tail feathers aiding it to cling tothe trunk. Its food consists of insects, more especiallybeetles and ants, which it finds in crevices of the bark, butit often descends to the ground in search of food. Its flight is direct and undulating, and it proceeds by aseries of rapid wing-beats followed by a short falling period,when the wings are half closed. On the ground it pro-gresses by short hops, and when searching a tree for food, itascends spir
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