Woodpecker. INSESSORES. PICUS. 379 



LESSER-SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 



Picus MINOR, Linn. 

 PLATE XXXVIII. Fig. 3. 



Picus minor, Linn. Svst. 1. p. 176. 10 — Faun. Suec. No. 102 Gmel. Syst. 



1. p. 493. sp. 19 — 'Lath. Ind. Ornith, v. 1. p. 229. sp. 15. 

 Picus varius minor, Brhs. 4. p. 41. 15. 

 Picus varius tertius. Rait Svn. p. 43. 6 — Will. p. 94. t. 21. 

 Le Petit Epeiche, Buff. Ois. v. 7- p- 62 — Id. Pi. Enl. 598. f. 1. and 2. 

 Pic Epeichette, Temm. ]Man. d'Ornith. v. 1. p. 399. 

 Grass-pecht, Bechst. Naturg. Deut. v. 2. p. 1039 — Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 



V. 1. p. 124 Frisch, Vog. t. 37. male and female. 



Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Br. Zool. 1. No. 87. t. 37 — Arcl. Zool. 2. 



p. 278. E Letvin's Br. Birds, t. 49 Lath. Syn. 2. p. 566. 14 — Id. 



Sup. p. 107 Mont. Oraith. Diet.— /rf. Sup — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 50 — Pult. 



Cat. Dorset, p. 6 Bewick's Br. Birds, v. 1. p. 120.— Z>o«, Br. Birds, 2. 



t. 36 Shaiv's ZooL v. 9. p. 166. t. 34. bad figure of male. 



Provincial — Hickwall, Crank Bii-d. 



This small species of Woodpecker (also belonging to 

 Swainson's restricted genus Picus), is less numerous than 

 the others, and seems to be only partially distributed. I 

 have met with it in Herefordshire, and it is well known in 

 the neighbouring counties of Gloucester and Wilts. In the 

 northern and eastern parts of England it is very rare ; and, 

 although said by Te^niminck to resort particularly to forests 

 of fir-trees, I have not been able to trace it in those dis- 

 tricts of Scotland where woods of that description abound. — 

 In habits it resembles its congeners, obtaining its food in Food, 

 the same manner, which consists of the smaller insects. Its 

 note is also similar but not so loud. It breeds either in the 

 natural hole of some tree, or in one of its own excavation, 

 the orifice of which is always correspondent with the small 

 size of the bird, and the passage is often of some depth. 

 The eggs are laid on the rotten wood, without any fabri- Eggs. 

 cated nest ; they are of a clear pinkish-white, and amount 

 to five or six. 



