134 PICID^E. 



Yorkshire, but the birds falling into the hands of those who 

 were not aware of the Ornithological interest attached to 

 them, the specimens were not preserved. This species is 

 also recorded to have been killed in Lincolnshire. A few 

 years since a communication was made to the Zoological 

 Society of London, that two examples of the Great Black 

 Woodpecker had been at that time killed in a small wood 

 near Scole Inn, in Norfolk ; and still more recently, a pair 

 were frequently seen in a small preserved wood, near 

 Christchurch in Hampshire. It was hoped that they 

 would have remained to go to nest ; but the birds dis- 

 turbed by being too frequently watched, left the wood. 

 Lastly, I may add, that Sir Robert Sibbald, in his Scotia 

 Illustrate claims Picus martins as a bird of Scotland, in- 

 cluding it in his Historia Animalium in Scotia, p. 15. 



The general habits of the Woodpeckers are well known. 

 These birds are rather limited in their powers of flight ; 

 they live in, or near woods, are retiring and shy, hiding 

 themselves from view when approached by passing to that 

 side of the tree or branch which is farthest from the in- 

 truder. They search the bark of trees, or decaying parts, 

 for any insects that may be concealed in the fissures, as- 

 cending the body of the tree or its branches, with facility 

 by climbing, occasionally supporting themselves by their 

 tail-feathers, the shafts of which are strong, elastic, and 

 pointed. The tongue of these birds, by a particular ana- 

 tomical construction, is capable of great elongation and 

 extension, and being copiously supplied with a tenacious 

 mucus, secreted by large glands on the sides of the throat, 

 small or light insects are rapidly taken up by adhesion. 

 During the night these birds occupy the holes so fre- 

 quently to be observed in trees, some of which they ex- 

 cavate, or partially enlarge for themselves by working with 



