Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 5 (1901).djvu/152

128 Several of these Spoonbills were also seen by Mr. Patterson, Mr. E.J. Eldred, and others, and it is very satisfactory to know that they were all protected. Mr. Patterson says they are even becoming common enough to receive the appellation of "Banjobills," and the day may yet come when, protected by public opinion, they will again breed in East Anglia, where we have plenty of tall trees and food of small fry for them.

11th.—I was greatly struck to-day by the pertinacity displayed by a Green Woodpecker, although birds in holes are always difficult to oust. We had two nests—our usual allowance—one of them in an ash, the other in an elm. The latter was so low down that I could insert my fingers or a thin pliable cane; but whatever it was, the Green Woodpecker, who felt herself master of the situation, assailed it with the utmost vigour, using that pick-axe beak with an amount of determination which would have meant death to the marauding Rat or Stoat. Owing to a stupid misunderstanding, a few days afterwards this Woodpecker was cut out of her nest-hole (a very noisy operation), and, after being well handled, was released. My daughters naturally thought it would forsake the spot, but to the delight of us all the bird was back again in the half-opened hole next day, and, being now carefully protected from further harm, she hatched her eggs successfully. When a few days old the young Woodpeckers, which became now the object of our care and solicitude, and were very noisy in the hole if they heard anyone approaching, developed a large and prominent knob at the base of the lower mandible and on either side, quite round at the top, and hard like a pea, as correctly shown in the illustration (p. 129). As the birds grew the knob diminished, and had almost disappeared when the time came for them to leave the nest. This curious growth appears to have been unnoticed by naturalists, as I cannot find any mention of it. Another peculiarity about young Woodpeckers is that the feathers seem to come without any previous growth of down. I may remark that some days before this curious knob disappeared the distinctive red of the cock's moustache was already visible. After some consultation we decided to try our luck in rearing one of them, which it was no easy task to extract from the hole, to the interior of which it clung with its hooked claws. With great care it was fed, and