THE LESSER WOOD-PECKER 105 



ness in the wood-pecker. Its disposition is cunning and 

 distrustful. It is difficult to perceive this bird in the woods ; 

 as soon as it has the presentiment that a stranger is ap- 

 proaching, it remains motionless behind the trunk of a tree, 

 and you can scarcely perceive a bit of its head, in which 

 an arch eye is glistening. When it is going to take a 

 drink, it flies up to the pond very slowly, by starts, and 

 silently. Then it descends from tree to tree, until it rea- 

 ches the water, turning its head every minute, like a thief 

 who has been pilfering and is afraid of being caught. 



The nut-hatch has often been confounded with the 

 group of wood-peckers, but it differs from them in many 

 respects. In Lorraine they call the nut-hatch « Pic macon », 

 and in some other provinces « Pic bleu » (blue wood- 

 pecker). It has their strong bill, but its tail is not so stiff; 

 its own tail is moveable like that of the white wag-tail; this 

 latter circumstance makes the gait of the nut-hatch much 

 more elegant and supple than that of the wood-peckers. 

 It is of the same size as the lesser red wood-pecker and 

 its feet are like those of the last-named birds provided 

 with hooked nails. The head, back and tail of the male 

 nut-hatch are of a fine ash-blue colour ; its throat and 

 cheeks are whitish ; its breast and stomach orange 

 coloured; its wings brown with dark grey edges, lis bill 

 is awl-shaped, rounded off at the end, straight and resist- 

 ing like forged steel; for this reason the nut-hatch can 

 hammer and pick the bark of trees, making a great noise, 



