212 



VERTEBRATA. 



V-i*'.. 



Woodpecker, P. tridactylus or P. arcticus, 

 is iiiiK! inclies loiiij;, .'iiid inliabits the north 

 of Europe, as well as North America, being 

 sometimes found as far south as Pennsylvania. 



Among the Asiatic species are the P. 

 Short/', P. squamatns, and P. occijnlaliSy all 

 found in the Himalaya Mountains. The P. 

 ''•\ Caffer is found in Southern Africa. 



There are about thirty species of wood- 

 pecker known in the United States, which 

 lave been divided by naturalists into several 

 genera. Dr. De Kay, however, includes them 

 in one — that of Picus. The most commonly 

 known is the Red-headed Woodpecker, P. 

 crythrocephalus, Mclanerpes crythrocfphalus 

 of Linna3us, eight to nine inches long; head, 

 neck, and throat crimson ; back, wings, and 

 tail black ; secondaries, rump, and all beneath 

 nearly white. It is chiefly a simimer bird, 

 though a few remain through the year; it 

 feeds on juicy fruits, cherries, apples, pears, 

 Indian corn in the milk, and insects which 

 infest decayed trees. It makes its nest in 

 THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. holcs lu dry trccs, which it excavates with its 



bill ; the eggs are about six, and white, with reddish spots at the end ; there are two broods in a 



RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS. 



season. This bird generally lives in the forests, but it often visits the orchards, and in cherry time 



