PICUS. 219 



sometimes wanting ; claws large, well arched, compressed, 

 laterally grooved, very acute. Wings large, rounded ; 

 tail cuneate, of twelve feathers, the lateral very small, the 

 rest with very strong shafts, and stiff deflected filaments. 

 The genera differ little from each other, either in form 

 or in habits. All the species live chiefly on larvae and 

 insects which they obtain by digging into the bark and 

 wood of decayed trees. They also eat ants, berries, and 

 various soft fruits. 



GENUS LXXIII. PICUS. WOODPECKER. 



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

 terally bevelled at the tip so as to present an edged, abrupt, 

 wedge-like termination ; upper mandible with the dorsal line 

 declinate and straight, the ridge sharp, the sides with a lon- 

 gitudinal elevated line remote from the ridge ; the tip trun- 

 cate ; lower mandible with the ridge sharp and almost 

 straight, the tip truncate. Mouth of moderate width ; tongue 

 vermiform, terminated by a narrow, flat, horny point, which 

 is ciliated with short reversed bristles ; oesophagus of mode- 

 rate width ; proventriculus very wide ; stomach roundish, a 

 little compressed, its muscular coat rather thin, its epithelium 

 dense ; intestine of moderate length, rather wide ; no coeca. 

 Nostrils elliptical or oblong, concealed by reversed bristly 

 feathers. Eyes of moderate size. Head oblong ; neck of 

 ordinary length ; body rather slender. Feet very short ; 

 first toe very short ; second of moderate length, and united 

 at the base to the third ; fourth long, and directed back- 

 wards ; claws very large, curved, acute. Wings large, with 

 nineteen quills, the first very small, the fourth and fifth 

 longest ; tail rounded or wedge-shaped, with the shafts very 

 strong, the terminal filaments stiff and deflected. 



141. PICUS MARTIUS. GREAT BLACK WOODPECKER. 



Plumage brownish-black ; the male with the upper part of 

 the head, the female with only the occiput, crimson. 

 Male, 19, .., 9J, 2 T 4 y , 1 T \, B> 1. Female, 18|. 

 This species lias been met with in England only in a few 



