298 



PICID^. 



insectivorous birds. They have an advantage over almost 

 every other kind of food thus exposed, that they are not 

 liable to be appropriated, as scraps of meat and bread are, 

 by prowling cats and dogs. A walnut, suspended from the 

 bough of a tree by a string, will soon attract the notice of 

 some inquisitive Tit, and, when once detected, will not fail 

 to receive the visits of all birds of the same family which 

 frequent the neighbourhood. A more amusing pendulum 

 can scarcely be devised. To ensure the s-uccess of the 

 experiment, a small portion of the v«ihell should be removed. 



THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER 



PICUS MINOR. 



Forehead and lower parts dirty white ; crown bright red ; nape, back, and wings 

 black, with white bars ; tail black, the outer feathers tipped with white and 

 barred with black ; iris red. Length five inches and a half, breadth twelre 

 inches. Eggs glossy white. 



This handsome little bird resembles its congeners so closely, 

 both in structure and habits, that it scarcely needs a 



