PIC 



PIC 



greatest black wood-pecker, abounds in 

 Germany, and builds in ash and poplar 

 trees, which they are said to excavate 

 speedily, so as to expose them to be blown 

 down by winds which would not other- 

 wise have effected them; under the hole 

 made by these birds may be often found 

 several peeks of dust and pieces of wood. 

 They are of the size of a jack-daw. 



P. viridis, or the green wood-pecker, is 

 the largest species in Great Britain, and 

 is thirteen inches long 1 . These birds are 

 more frequently seen on the ground than 

 the other species, particularly where ant- 

 hiils abound, the population of winch 

 they almost extirpate by their incessant 

 efforts. Occasionally this bird is not con- 

 tent with darting its tongue at them 

 single, but by the combined exertion of 

 its bill and feet lays open the whole nest, 

 and commits the most wholesale ravage 

 upon both the ants and their eggs. 



P. major, or the witwall, is nine inches 

 long, and strikes with far greater com- 

 parative force against the trees than any 

 other of the European species. It creeps 

 with facility over the branches in every 

 direction, and when any person attempts 

 to observe it on one side of a branch 

 passes to the opposite with extreme ce- 

 lerity, repeating this change in corres- 

 pondence with every renewed effort of 

 the enemy. For the greater spotted wood- 

 pecker, see Aves, Plate XIL fig. 3. 



Ten species of this interesting genus 

 have been enumerated as inhabitants of 

 the United States, of which the 



P. principalis, or Ivory-billed Wood- 

 pecker, is the largest of the whole tribe 

 hitherto discovered, being twenty inches 

 long, and thirty inches in extent. Black, 

 bill ivory white, crest brilliant red, black 

 before ; a white line originates near the 

 angles of the mouth on each side, passes 

 down each side of the neck and over the 

 back, terminating near the rump ; secon- 

 dary feathers of the wings white. This 

 disposition of colours gives to the bird a 

 white backed appearance when at rest ; 

 neck long; tail long, cuneiform, the fea- 

 thers of which it is composed are remark- 

 ably concave beneath The female is 

 destitute of the brilliant red of the crest, 

 but in this part is wholly black. They 

 feed principally on the larvae of different 

 species of coleoptera, such as Passalvs 

 eornutus, &.c. This species is very sel- 

 dom seen north of Cai*olina, but his range 

 extends, in a southern direction, far be- 

 yond the boundaries of the United States. 

 The skins of several different kinds of 

 birds are worn by some of our tribes of 



Indians, cither to decorate their persons, 

 as symbols of office, or as amulets or 

 charms. By way of ornammt the skin 

 of tlus bird, particularly of the head with 

 its bill and the neck, are worn and high- 

 ly valued by some of our southern In- 

 dians. 



P. pilcatus, Pileated Woodpecker, 

 Black Wood-cock, or Log-cock, as he is 

 called in different parts of the country, 

 stands next to the preceding species in. 

 point of size. Length eighteen inches; 

 width twenty-eight : colour blackish- 

 brown; crest entirely of a brilliant red ; a 

 red dash at the angles of the mouth ; bill 

 black ; chin and feathers of the nostrils 

 white ; this colour passes in a stripe down 

 the side of the neck and spreads under 

 the wings ; upper half of the wings white, 

 concealed when at rest by the black co- 

 verts ; tail rather long, tapering ; feathers 

 convex above and strong. The female 

 is distinguished from the male by having 

 the front of the head of a light brown co- 

 lour, and the dash behind the angle of 

 the mouth is dusky. 



This noble bird appears to be a gene- 

 ral inhabitant of North America, at least 

 as far north as Canada ; his residence be- 

 ing in the interior of large forests, he is 

 rarely seen near our large towns on the 

 sea board, around which the forests have 

 been felled or much thinned ; makes a 

 loud cackling noise before rain, and then 

 seems to fly about with unusual impati- 

 ence and restlessness. 



P. auratus. Golden winged Wood- 

 pecker, Flicker, High-hole, Hittock, Sec. 

 is a very common and beautiful species, 

 found in almost all parts of the United 

 States, and ranges very far to the north ; 

 he is partially migratory, but may be 

 found in our markets every month in the 

 year. Colour of the back and wings 

 above dark umber, marked regularly and 

 transversely with streaks of black ; 

 cheeks, chin and neck, cinnamon colour ; 

 head above, and superior part of the 

 neck, iron grey, hind head marked with a 

 sanguineous lunate spot, the angles point- 

 ing towards the eyes, an abbreviated 

 stripe on each side of the throat arising 

 near the base of the lower jaw, and a 

 large deep black lunule on the breast, 

 belly and vent white, a little yellowish, 

 and marked with very numerous round- 

 ed spots of black ; shafts of the feathers 

 golden yellow ; rump and tail coverts 

 white, the latter curiously serrated with 

 black; tail beneath yellow, tip and all 

 above black. The female is destitute of 

 the abbreviated stripes of the throat t 



