164 BLACK- SPECKLED WOODPECKER. 



fusion. Without troubling the reader with a 

 lengthened discussion on this subject, we should yet 

 observe that we suspect this is probably the Pictcs 

 nubicus of the Linnaean writers ; the figure they 

 universally cite for that species is on the 667th plate 

 of Buffon, which certainly appears to us a tolerable 

 representation of the bird now before us ; the only 

 discrepancy seems to be in the ground colour of the 

 under plumage, which in that is white, and in this 

 of a pale yellowish cast. We strongly suspect, 

 therefore, notwithstanding what Wagler has asserted 

 on the error of Professor Lichtenstein, that the error 

 lies with himself, and not with the learned and ac- 

 complished professor at Berlin. We cannot speak 

 decisively on this point, however, without seeing the 

 Pic tigre of Le Yaillant ; and, therefore, as Cuvier's 

 specific name of punctatus has obtained currency, 

 we adopt it, although we join with Lichtenstein in 

 the belief that this is, in reality, the Picus nulicus 

 of the old authors. 



We place this bird under the present sub-genus, as 

 an aberrant species, apparently leading to the more 

 perfect types of this circle ; the lateral ridge of the 

 bill is nearly as close to the culmen as in the sub- 

 genus Brachylophus, which contains our green wood- 

 pecker ; on the other hand, the two principal toes, 

 as in the majority of this sub-genus, are equal. 



The predominant colour of the upper plumage is 

 a sort of fulvous olive, with more buff than green ; 

 the whole diversified with small diamond-shaped 

 fulvous-white spots down the middle of the shaft. 



