izing the desolation which now impresses us so much."

I crossed the stream, in order to reach our bivouac by the opposite bank
to that which we had hitherto followed. Suddenly a noise, like a mallet
striking the trunk of a tree, attracted our attention.

"You told me just now there was no one but ourselves in the forest,"
cried Lucien.

"Chut!" replied l'Encuerado; "it is nothing but a large woodpecker."

And each of us glided under the bushes and tried to get near the winged
workman, who so loudly betrayed his presence. Ten minutes elapsed, but
all was silent, and the object of our search appeared to have moved off.
In fact, we were about to give up the pursuit, when three blows, struck
at regular intervals, resounded near us.

The _Carpintero_ (carpenter), for such it is called in Mexico, has very
brilliant yellow eyes, red feathers upon the head, while the body is
dark-colored streaked with white. It climbs easily up the trunks of
trees, resting upon its tail-feathers. At length we observed it, and as
we looked, admiring its plumage, it again struck three resounding blows,
and ran round the tree as if to inspect the other side.

"The fool!" muttered l'Encuerado; "he thinks he can pierce a tree as
thick as my body with three pecks of his beak! He'll soon be eaten."

And he fired at the bird and hit it.

"I say, papa, did the woodpecker really want to pierce this big tree?"

"No, my boy; that is a popular but unfounded idea. The woodpecker
strikes the trees in order to frighten the insects that are concealed
under the bark; and the action which l'Encuerado has interpreted in his
own way is performed with a view of getting hold of the fugitives."

Sumichrast showed Lucien that the woodpecker, aided by its wedge-shaped
beak, could, in case of need, rip up the bark under which its prey was
to be found; that his tongue, covered with spines bending backward, is
well adapted to seize the larvae; and, lastly, that the stiff and elastic
feathers of its tail afford it a very useful support in the exercise of
its laborious vocation.

"You often get the better of me in argument," said l'Encuerado; "but
it's no use your saying that woodpeckers do not bore into trees, for I
have seen them doing it."

"You are right, up to a certain point," replied Sumichrast; "some
species make their nests in dead trees, which their beaks can with ease
penetrate. As for piercing sound trees, that's quite another question."

While l'E