73 



PICUS. WOODPECKER. 



Bill rather long, stout, conical, pentagonal, straight, later- 

 ally bevelled at the tip so as to present an edged, abrupt, wedge- 

 like termination : upper mandible with the dorsal outline de- 

 clinate and straight, the ridge sharp, the sides flat and sloping, 

 with a longitudinal ridge, the edges a little inflected, the tip 

 narrow and truncate ; lower mandible with the angle short and 

 rather narrow, the dorsal line ascending and straight, the sides 

 flattened and nearly erect at the base, but beyond the angle 

 sloping, and more or less convex, the edges slightly inflected, 

 the tip slightly truncate ; the gape-line straight. 



The upper mandible within is slightly concave, with three 

 longitudinal prominent lines, the lower more deeply concave, 

 with a median prominent line. The tongue is extensile, long, 

 slender, subcylindrical, fleshy, with a horny, tapering point, 

 of which the margin, and usually part of the upper surface 

 are covered with acicular reversed prickles. The oesophagus 

 is of moderate width, without crop, but dilated at the lower 



