176 By Leafy Ways. 



quite a feature of the wood. The white tail-coverts of 

 the jay, and the dark plumage of his wings and tail, 

 make him a striking object even at a distance as he 

 flits in his lively way from tree to tree. Seen near at 

 hand, the colours of his gay attire proclaim him what 

 he is, one of the most beautiful of our native birds. 



There is no idea now of vanishing in silence. One 

 of the party, suspicious of danger, sounds a note of 

 alarm. The harsh scream is taken up by each in 

 turn until the whole glade is in a tumult. Then the 

 noisy crew retire deeper into their sylvan haunt 

 through the thick undergrowth of ash saplings which 

 rise like a mist among the trees. 



Less frequently noticed, because less common and 

 much shyer and quieter than the jay, our three resident 

 woodpeckers are much more easily seen now among 

 the leafless branches. 



The lesser spotted species is perhaps not so rare as 

 it is often thought to be. Gould even said that it 

 might be found in almost any large group of elms. 

 But from its habit of frequenting the topmost boughs 

 it is probably often passed by unnoticed. 



The green woodpecker, although a recognised wood- 

 lander, is more partial to scattered timber than to the 

 depths of the forest. His home lies rather among the 

 grey wilderness of a West-country orchard, in the tall 

 elms that cluster in a corner of the meadow, or the 

 broad-leaved chestnuts of the solitary copse. 



Follow the footpath that leads past the church and 



