442 



P I C U S. 



with the outermost layer of the wood, when the 

 tree begins to decay ; for it should seem that this 

 layer contains little if any turpentine ; and therefore, 

 if the trees stand too long, the insects marble over 

 this part, by eating- tracts in it, and the bark soon 

 comes off in large patches, the rain gets into the 

 wood and the tree falls. This catastrophe is in part 

 prevented by the spotted woodpeckers. The females 

 of these, like those of the former, make their nest in 

 the holes of trees ; the eggs are from four to six, and 

 of a white colour. The young are as difficult to 

 tame as those of the former, and there is.certainly 

 not. more inducement to tame them. Woodpeckers 

 of all sorts are strictly birds of the wild forests, very 

 useful in their particular vocation there, but of no 

 use whatever on cultivated grounds, or near culti- 

 vated habitations. 



Medium Spotted Woodpecker (P. medius). This 

 species differs but little from the former, except in 

 size, in which it is inferior, and in having the bill 

 more slender and sharper at the point. It is found 

 in nearly the same situations with the larger spotted 

 ones, but not so plentifully ; and it is said to be less 

 wild in its disposition. It is doubtful, however, 

 whether the variation between them is sufficient to 

 constitute a specific difference, and whether they 

 ought not to be considered as one and the same 

 species, accidentally varied in size. 



Less Spotted Woodpecker (P. minor]. This is a 

 very small bird as compared with the others, being 

 only five inches and a half in total length, of which 

 two ami a half are occupied by the bill and tail, 

 leaving only three for the body. Its back is white, 

 with cross bars of black ; the rump white, the upper 

 neck behind black ; the top of the head crimson, and 

 the under part reddish grey, of a pale shade, and 

 streaked by black lines on the flanks. It is a very 

 pretty little bird, and exceedingly active in its habits ; 

 but, as a British bird, it is rare and local ; and, as a 

 European bird altogether it has quite a different 

 geographical distribution from the larger woodpeckers 

 of the north. As a British bird this species is found 

 only in the south and west of England ; whereas the 

 other one belongs rather to the west of Scotland. In 

 taking a topographical estimate of the three species, 

 which we have enumerated as British, we should be 

 disposed to say that the green woodpecker is a forest 

 bird of the richer parts of the country generally 

 that the larger spotted one is a mountaineer and 

 that the smaller one is a more delicate bird, and 

 confined to the dry and warm districts. 



In Europe it "is probable that there are some 

 others of larger dimensions than even these ; and a 

 black one is mentioned, which is four inches longer 

 than the green, being seventeen inches in length, and 

 weighing nearly double the weight of the green one. 

 Its general colour is black, with the crown of the head 

 scarlet, though this distribution of the colours is said 

 to be not altogether constant. Some instances are 

 mentioned of its having been shot in the west of 

 England as a stray, but we are not sure that they are 

 well authenticated. The bird belongs to a more 

 easterly locality, is more powerful on the wing, and 

 more a bird of wild nature and wild places than 

 the others. It comes into Germany both by the line 

 of the forests to the south and east of the Baltic, and 

 by that of those in the valley of the Danube ; though 

 it is rare in France, or anywhere to the westward of 

 the Rhine. Altogether, it is to be looked upon as a 



Siberian bird, or a bird of the confines between 

 Europe arid Asia, rather than as a European bird. 



We regret that our limits will not allow us to go 

 somewhat more at length into the geographical dis- 

 tribution of European woodpeckers ; because the 

 natural history of woodpeckers involves the natural 

 history of forests, and this again involves much of the 

 relative physical geography of countries as compared 

 with each other, and their relative aptitude for being 

 improved by man. This last is the great practical 

 gist of all rational natural history ; and if it is not 

 kept in view, all that can be said is really not much 

 better than an idle tale. 



The centre of Europe seems most adapted to the 

 green woodpecker, and it takes most abundantly the 

 line of the deciduous forests, where the sap of the 

 trees is sweet and kindly, and they are in consequence 

 subject to the attacks of larva;. The spotted ones 

 more affect the pine forests, whether of the north, the 

 Carpathian mountains, or the Alps and Pyrenees ; 

 but they have not been traced in a manner sufficiently 

 continuous for giving much of absolute certainty to 

 even their geographical distribution ; though, were 

 this done, they might be made a sort of index or 

 artificial memory to a great deal of knowledge of a 

 most valuable description. 



At the north-east, Europe passes gradually into 

 the character of Asia ; and hence we may conclude 

 that the forest-birds of the northern parts of both 

 are nearly the same. In central Asia it is difficult to 

 trace the general geography of any animal ; and it is 

 just as difficult to connect Asia, northward of the 

 Himalaya mountains, with Asia to the southward of 

 the same. We must therefore restrict our observa- 

 tions to the mere naming of one or two of the Asiatic 

 species of woodpeckers. On the continent of India, 

 whether eastward or westward of the Bay of Bengal, 

 they do not appear to be very numerous ; and, 

 indeed, we could not expect it, because, over many 

 parts of India Proper at least, the wastes are covered 

 with bamboo jungles, and not with trees fitted for the 

 pasture of numerous woodpeckers. The ones in the 

 south of continental Asia are also generally of small 

 size, not so small as the little spotted woodpecker of 

 Europe, but smaller than any other of the European 

 ones. 



Green-crested Woodpecker (P. chloropiis) is an 

 Indian species, measuring about eight inches in 

 length. The upper parts of its body are green ; the 

 hind head is furnished with a crest of green and 

 yellow, and there are some lines or markings of 

 yellow surrounding the eyes ; the coverts of the wings 

 are spotted with yellowish white ; the throat arid 

 fore neck greenish, the under parts marked with 

 zig-zag lines of green and white ; and the bill and 

 naked parts of the feet brown. 



Bengal Woodpecker (P. Bengal en. sis). This is of 

 the same size, and belongs to the same country, as 

 the former, but the markings of its colours are very 

 different. The upper part is black ; the top of the 

 head is mottled with a number of white spots ; the 

 crest, the middle of the back, and part of the wing- 

 coverts, are bright red ; the quills are brown, mottled 

 with w hite ; the tail-feathers blackish brown ; the 

 throat and breast brownish, with darker mottlings of 

 the same ; the bill is bluish grey, and the Teet brown. 



The wooded parts of Java, and the other isles of 

 the Sunda group, which abound in forests, contain a 

 number of species of woodpeckers, but they possess 



