The Great Black Woodmscker.- 



-BIRDS. 



-The Lesser Spotted WooDFECKEn. 



381 



capture of larvw, which, being pierced by the tip of the 

 tongue, may be prevented by the barbs from escaping, 

 notwithstanding their struggles. But for the capture 

 of tlie smaller insects, whicli abound both under the 

 bark and among the crevices of its surface, the tongue 

 is endued with a glutinous matter, which is secreted 

 by a pair of large glands situated in the throat, and 

 communicating with the mouth by long ducts ; these 

 open into the mouth at the point where the two branches 

 of the lower mandible unite together, and consequently 

 close to the front of the mouth, so that the glutinous 

 coating of the tongue will be renewed every time that 

 organ is drawn back within the bill. Besides insects, 

 the Woodpeckers feed upon fruits and seeds, and some 

 of them are accused of devouring, or even carrying off, 

 fruits from the orchards to a considerable extent. 



The Woodpeckers roost and breed in the holes of 

 trees, which they are able to enlarge to suit their pur- 

 {(oses b}' means of their strong and sharp bills. The 

 eggs are deposited upon the chips and debris at the 

 bottom of the hole ; they are variable in number, but, 

 in almost all known cases, are of a smooth and shining 

 texture, and of a pure white colour. 



THE GREAT BLACK WOODPECKER {Piciis martins) 

 — Plate 10, fig. 57 — a rare bird in Britam, is not 

 uncommon in some parts of Europe, especially in the 

 pine forests of the Alps. It is also found in Germany 

 and France, and extends thence over the northern jxarts 

 of Europe through Russia into Siberia. The length of 

 this bird is about sixteen inches, and its plumage is of 

 a deep black colour, with the top of the head slightly 

 crested and bright blood-red. Its note resembles a 

 loud, hoarse laugh. Its food consists chiefly of insects, 

 which it captures upon or under the bark of trees as 

 already described ; it will also feed on nuts, seeds, and 

 berries. It lays tiiree eggs of a pine white coloui'. 



THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER [Dryuhalcs 

 major) is not an uncommon bird in some parts of this 

 country, especially in the southern and midland coun- 

 ties ; in the more northern districts a few specimens 

 appear late in autumn, and are supposed to migrate 

 from Norway and Sweden. The species is found in 

 all parts of Europe. It is an inhabitant of woods, parks, 

 and gardens; but its shyness prevents it from being 

 frequently seen, as, on the approach of any intruder on 

 its liaunts, it wDl creep round the trunk of the tree on 

 which it is sitting, or conceal itself behind a branch. 

 It rarely alights on the ground, but occasionally visits 

 old posts or rails and decayed pollard trees, probably 

 finding an abundance of insect food in such situations. 

 The bird is said to adopt a singular and ingenious con- 

 trivance for obtaining insects, which is described in the 

 following words in one of the editions of Pennant's 

 British Zoology : — " By putting the point of its bill into 

 a crack of the limb of a large tree, and making a quick 

 tremulous motion with its head, it occasions a sound as 

 if the tree was splitting, which alarms the insects and 

 induces them to quit theh recesses; this it repeats every 

 minute or two for half an hour, and will then fly off to 

 another tree, generally fixing itself near the top for the 

 same purpose. The noise may be distinctly heard for 

 half a mile." Tlie eggs of this bird are deposited in the 

 hole of a tree, and are as many as five in number. 



The Great Spotted Woodpecker is between nine and 

 ten inches in length, and is of a black colour above, 

 with the forehead and the sides of tlie head dirty white, 

 the back of the head bright scarlet, and a spot on each 

 side of the neck, the scapulars and numerous spots on 

 the wings white ; the throat is dirty white, bounded by 

 a black stripe, and the remainder of the lower surface 

 is also dingy white, except the vent and lower tail- 

 coverts, which are red. The two middle tail-feathers 

 ai-e entirely black ; the two nest on each side black, 

 tipped with white ; and the rest banded with black and 

 white. 



THE LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER {Dryolates 

 minor), another British species, is not uncommon in 

 the southern and midland counties, but becomes rare 

 towards the north. It is distributed over most parts 

 of Europe, and ext*;uds its range tlu'ough Siberia. Its 

 length is a little less than si.x inches, and its bill is 

 shorter in proportion than in the preceding species. 

 It has the crown of the head scarlet, the forehead, 

 cheeks, and sides of tlie neck dingy white, and tlie 

 upper surface black, baired with white on the back ; 

 the wings are gi-ayish-black, with white bars; the four 

 middle tail-feathers are black, the next on each side 

 tipped with white, and the remainder barred witli white 

 and black. The lower surface of the body is gi'ayish- 

 white, with black longitudinal streaks. This bird is 

 generally seen searching for insects upon Uie bark of 

 trees, and often amongst the moss-covered branches ol 

 fruit-trees in orchards. It also occasionally descends 

 to the ground and seeks its food amongst the grass. 

 Two other nearly allied species {D. medius and leuco- 

 7iotits) are found commonly on the continent of Europe. 



THE THREE-TOED WOODPECKER {Piculdcs tridac- 

 tylus) — Plate 16, fig. 58. — This bird, which is an 

 uihabitant of the northern parts of both hemispheres, 

 is distinguished from the preceding species, and indeed 

 from nearly all the other birds of this family, by its 

 possessing only three toes, the inner or true binder 

 toe being entirely deficient. It measures two inches in 

 length, and has the forehead, the back of the head, and 

 a streak behind each eye black; tho crown of the head 

 golden j'ellow; the wings black, banded with white; 

 tho back and lower surface white, with numerous 

 transveree black spots; and the tail black, with the 

 two outer feathers on each side banded with white. 



THE rVOEY-BILLED WOODPECKER {Campcphihis 

 principalis), one of the largest species of this family, ia 

 a native of the southern United States. It measures 

 about twenty inches in length, and is of a black colour, 

 with a greenish gloss ; the top of the head is adorned 

 with a crest of a fine red colour; a white stripe starting 

 from beneadi each eye, passes down the side of the 

 neck, and along the back nearly to the rump ; the five 

 inner primaries are furnished with a gradually increas- 

 ing w'hite tip, and the secondaries are wholly white. 

 The bill, which is perfectly white and like ivory, is 

 extremely powerful and elegantly fluted ; it measures 

 nearly an inch in breadth at its base. With this for- 

 midable organ the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is able to 

 break off large quantities of the bark of trees in search- 

 ing for the insects on which he feeds, and even to dig 

 a hole into the solid wood to furnish himself with a 



