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 



