156 THE WOODLANDS. 



the mewing of a cat, the note of a kite or buzzard, 

 hooting of an owl, and even the neighing of a horse. 

 These imitations are so exact, even in a natural wild 

 state, that we have frequently been deceived." Truly 

 a happy combination, more melancholy than musical* 

 the like of which we never heard, and certainly cherish 

 no great desire to add to our experiences. 



The Woodpecker, " tapping at the old oak-tree," is- 

 a bird of the South of Britain, but certainly prefers 

 tapping at the elm to the oak. The Green Wood- 

 pecker is more common generally than the Spotted 

 Woodpecker, and may occasionally be seen climbing 

 up the old trunk of some tree, or resting midway and 

 tapping the bark, catching up stray insects with its 

 long tongue. It is very fond of ants, and will perch 

 itself on a hillock, and feast at leisure upon its inha- 

 bitants, never scratching, but turning over the soil 

 with its strong bill. 



There is some similarity between the habits of the 

 Woodpeckers and the Wryneck. 1 The latter is a 

 smaller bird, with plumage of sober brown, with the 

 same habit of climbing trees or walls in search of 

 insects, and building its nest in the hole of a tree. 

 When disturbed in its nest, it utters a hissing sound, 

 which some compare to that of a turkey-cock, and 

 others to that of a serpent. For this reason it has 

 obtained the names of Snake-bird and Turkey-bird. 

 " Cuckoo's mate " is another name which it has 

 acquired, on account of arriving in this country about 

 the same time as the Cuckoo. The Wryneck is 



1 Yunx torquilla. 



