WOODPECKERS. 



255 



Siib-F ainily III. 

 THE TRUE WOODPECKERS. PICIN/E, 



General Characteristics. — Bill more or less long, broad at the base, much com- 

 pressed towards the tip, which is tmncated, the sides of the upper mandible sloping, 

 and furnished with a lateral ridge that springs from the middle at the base, gradually 

 bends towards the lateral margin, and then extends above it to the tip ; the outer 

 posterior toe generally longer than the outer anterior toe. 



The true Woodpeckers feed upon insects, which they capture 

 in the woody structure and beneath the bark of trees. Their large 



■m 



Fig. 132. — The Gre.^t Spotted Woodpecker {Pictts major). 



and strong toes, arranged in pairs, give them great facihty in main- 

 taining their footing on a perpendicular surface — a faculty which 

 is aided by their stiff and horny tail, composed of strong feathers 

 ending in sharp points, which act as a prop. Their beak is shaped 

 like a wedge, almost as strong and hard as steel, terminated by a 

 sharp chisel-like extremity, wherewith, by repeated blows, the 



