34 Forest Birds. 
us look up, and there, running along a bough, was a 
creature, which for a moment looked like another 
mouse, but just then it came round the tree into the 
full light of the sun, and a beautiful little bird of a 
bluish colour was revealed before us. 
A more active being one could scarcely conceive, as 
it nimbly ran along the top of the branch, and then, 
with body downwards, crept as easily along the 
underside; but suddenly, without a moment’s delay, 
it darted off, and, alighting on the trunk of a decaying 
beech immediately opposite, afforded us a splendid 
view of the sprightly Nuthatch. The bird seemed 
almost to be performing for our benefit, yet this was 
only its usual way of spending life in its forest 
home. It began to ascend the trunk, putting one 
leg before the other, and walking up it like a mouse ! 
then its sharp eyes detected something under a piece 
of bark below, and, turning round, it walked down 
the tree head foremost, just as easily as it had climbed 
up a moment before. The insect the bird had caught 
sight of under the bark had disappeared, but the 
Nuthatch was not to be so easily baulked of its 
prey. Taking a firm grip of the tree with its curved 
claws, it began vigorously to hammer with its beak 
the spot under which the insect lay concealed; but 
the stubborn bark would not give way, so the Nut- 
hatch hammered harder, and with each blow it 
