SCANSORES. PICID.E. 



at a representation of the skeleton in a climbing 

 position : the low keel allowing the bird to place 

 its body close to the tree, to bring its centre of 

 gravity in a perpendicular line before the points 

 of support, and thus materially to diminish the 

 labour of, and the strain upon, the muscles of the 

 legs and thighs."* 



The beak is hard and compact in its texture, in 

 some species nearly resembling ivory, stout at the 

 base, and tapering, with angled sides, to the point, 

 which is sharpened to an edge, like a small chisel ; 

 or perhaps, the whole form may be likened to a 

 short but stout iron nail with a flattened point. 

 The value and efficiency of this organ will be ap- 

 parent when the economy of the bird is known ; it 

 obtains its food, consisting of the larvae of wood- 

 boring insects, by chiselling away the bark and 

 surrounding wood, until the subtle grub is ex- 

 posed. The head, then, acts as a hammer, of which 

 the beak is the face or point, and the curved neck 

 the handle, and being moved by muscles of great 

 energy, the sharp and wedge-like beak-tip is pro- 

 pelled against the tree in a succession of strokes 

 given with extraordinary force and rapidity. 



But as the labour required actually to chisel 

 out every grub on which the Woodpecker siibsists, 

 would be immense, effective as its weapon is, and 

 rapid as is its execution, there is yet another admi- 

 rable contrivance which we must notice, by which 

 the prey being once exposed, is dragged from his 

 tortuous hiding-places, and inmost crevices. The 

 tongue is tapered to a slender horny point, and its 

 length is extraordinary : for it passes behind into 

 two cartilaginous filaments, which passing under 



* Brit, Birds, ii. 140. 



